SB 658 is an important medical choice bill for parents. it went into effect July 1st of 2021. This bill provides many protections which are detailed here, but perhaps the biggest change is that schools are now required to inform parents that vaccine exemptions are an option!
Since July 2021, OKHPR has continued to demand that all Oklahoma school districts follow this law. According to SB 658, the Oklahoma State Department of Education is supposed to ensure that EVERY school district is following this portion of the law. Thanks to our new State Superintendent, Ryan Walters, the State Department of Education is working hard to do so.
In a recent edition of The Roar Release, we shared the names of many schools in Oklahoma that are violating state law, SB 658. After sharing that list we were able to remove a few schools that updated their website and social media due to your amazing advocacy! Unfortunately, we also received more reports of violations and have added several more schools to our list.
Is your school following the law? Click the button below to find out!
You can help us compile a more exact list by checking your local school district’s website. Click on the enrollment section and see if your school is including the required language when mentioning vaccination requirements. You can also check their social media. It is required by law that EVERY notice about vaccination requirements has the quoted language! This includes social media posts or email notices.
If your school is not following the law, please report that to us HERE so we can update our list! You can also print a sample letter explaining how the school has violated SB 658 from your membership dashboard. We recommend mailing this letter to the school, superintendent, or school board. You should also alert your State Senator and State Representative.
We need your help to make sure that this important section of state law is followed. This week we want to focus our efforts on the Oklahoma State School Board. The State Department of Education is responsible for ensuring that this law is followed by all school districts, so we must make sure they are aware! We have included sample email and phone scripts as well as contact information to make this as easy as possible!
- Copy and paste the following emails into the ‘bcc’ portion of your email. These are the emails for all of the members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education. You can use the following sample email as well!sarah.lepak@ok.gov, suzanne.reynolds@ok.gov, katie.quebedea@ok.gov, donald.burdick@ok.gov, kendra.wesson@ok.gov
Sample email:
“To whom it may concern,
I am emailing because I am a resident of _______ school district. I noticed that the school is in violation of SB 658. This law went into effect on July 2021 and it states that Schools and universities must notify parents and students that they may opt-out of vaccination mandates using legally allowed exemptions on their website and in all notices regarding vaccine requirements. The law also states that it is the State Department of Education’s job to ensure that school districts are following SB 658.
Please let me know what is being done to bring the school district into compliance with the law.
Name
Address”
2. Second, please contact State Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters at 405-521-3301. You may use the following phone script.
“Hi I am calling because I am a resident of _______ school district. I noticed that they are in violation of SB 658 because they are not informing parents about vaccine exemptions on their website or in a notice sent out on (date). I wanted to contact your office to ensure that this is addressed.”
Lastly, share this blog and the image at the top of this page with your friends and family to spread the word that ‘No Shots, No School, Not True!”
Resources related to vaccine law can be found on the resources page of our website. Here you will find the Oklahoma vaccine exemption form (which is used for school or daycare entry), read vaccine law, and read our vaccine exemption FAQ which includes information on what facilities are required to accept a vaccine exemption, how to fill out the form, what to do if your exemption is denied, and how to report a school that is violating the law.