Oklahoma Bill Bans Private Teacher-Student Communication

Oklahoma teachers are no longer allowed to communicate with students one-on-one, through a cellphone, or any electronic device.

Earlier this year, former athletic director and coach from Oklahoma, Ron Arthur was sentenced to five years in prison for sex crimes against a 17-year-old.

“He was communicating with students outside of school platforms,” said Rep. Sherrie Conley (R-Newcastle).

A 2017 case study found an estimated one in 10 kids may face this form of abuse.

“This year in Oklahoma, we roughly graduated 45,000 seniors,” said Conley. “That's 4500 students who have been assaulted or harassed by someone inside the school system.”

House Bill 3958 is meant to take action to prevent this from happening to other students.

This year, new communication platforms are being used by school districts and parents are being looped into conversations.

“If a school employee contacts a student on something other than a school platform [it] has the potential of being reported to the school, and then it would be investigated,” said Conley.

This might be an adjustment for some but Conley believes it's worth it.

“ I just want people who who see this as an inconvenience, I want them to understand that there is no one who is immune to the abuse and there, there's no one who is actually immune from being the abuser.” said Conley.