OKLAHOMA, USA — A new law in Oklahoma this school year is changing the way teachers and students communicate.
Under the law, which was approved by Governor Kevin Stitt in May and took effect in July, teachers and students in Oklahoma cannot communicate online unless a parent or guardian is included in the conversation.
Teachers are permitted to communicate with students on school-approved platforms that automatically include parents.
Any school personnel who violates the new law could lose their job.
Rep. Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle and Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond wrote the bill that became that law.
Conley said the law aims to help eliminate inappropriate relationships between teachers and students. She said her research has revealed that this issue is more common than many people realize.
“It's one of those situations that you don't really realize how many of the reports there are until you start putting them all together,” Conley said. “People just don't think that these kinds of things happen in schools, so when you start talking about putting this in place, some people are like, ‘Oh yeah, that makes absolute sense,’ but then others – when you talk to law enforcement and DAs and judges and that sort of thing – they're like, ‘This was a long time coming. This needed to happen a long time ago.’”
Conley said most of these inappropriate relationships happen online, and there has been a rise in these cases in recent years due to the increase of internet and cell phone use.
She added always including a parent in the conversation encourages transparency and is just one step toward creating safe environments for kids.
“Wherever you find young people, you're going to find people who are going to prey on children,” Conley said. “It doesn't matter whether it's school or church or Boy Scouts or Hollywood like we've seen, the music industry, sports, gymnastics, the Olympics … As adults, we have to do what needs to be done in order to protect kids.”
Conley said Oklahoma teachers received training and were made aware of the new law before the school year began. She added that this law is just the beginning of work being done to protect Oklahoma students, and she encourages lawmakers in other states to do their own research on similar issues and consider what can be done to help their communities.
RELATED: Sallisaw school officer placed on leave after allegations of inappropriate contact with a student
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