A. Subject to the provisions of the Teacher Due Process Act of 1990, a career teacher may be dismissed or not reemployed for: 1. Willful neglect of duty; 2. Repeated negligence in performance of duty; 3. Mental or physical abuse to a child; 4. Knowing and willful failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect; 5. Incompetency; 6. Instructional ineffectiveness; 7. Unsatisfactory teaching performance; 8. Commission of an act of moral turpitude; or 9. Abandonment of contract. B. Subject to the provisions of the Teacher Due Process Act of 1990, a probationary teacher may be dismissed or not reemployed for cause. C. During the 2017-2018 school year and thereafter: 1. A career teacher who has received a district evaluation rating of “ineffective” as measured pursuant to the Oklahoma Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Evaluation System (TLE) for two (2) consecutive school years shall be dismissed or not reemployed on the grounds of instructional ineffectiveness by the school district, subject to the provisions of the Teacher Due Process Act of 1990. However, the superintendent may recommend and the school district board of education may approve continued employment of the teacher; and 2. A career teacher who has received a district evaluation rating of “needs improvement” or lower as measured pursuant to the TLE for three (3) consecutive school years may be dismissed or not reemployed on the grounds of instructional ineffectiveness by the school district, subject to the provisions of the Teacher Due Process Act of 1990. D. During the 2017-2018 school year and thereafter: 1. A probationary teacher who has received a district evaluation rating of “ineffective” as measured pursuant to the TLE for two (2) consecutive school years may be dismissed or not reemployed by the school district subject to the provisions of the Teacher Due Process Act of 1990; and 2. A probationary teacher who has not attained career teacher status within a four-year period may be dismissed or not reemployed by the school district, subject to the provisions of the Teacher Due Process Act of 1990. E. A teacher shall be dismissed or not reemployed, unless a presidential or gubernatorial pardon has been issued, if during the term of employment the teacher is convicted in this state, the United States, or another state of: 1. Any sex offense subject to the Sex Offenders Registration Act in this state or subject to another state’s or the federal sex offender registration provisions; 2. Knowingly and willfully failing to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child in violation of Section 1-2-101 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes; or 3. Any felony offense. F. A teacher may be dismissed, refused employment, or not reemployed after a finding that such person has engaged in acts that could form the basis of criminal charges sufficient to result in the denial or revocation of a certificate for a reason set forth in subparagraph a or b of paragraph 6 of Section 3-104 of this title. G. As used in this section, “abandonment of contract” means the failure of a teacher to report at the beginning of the contract term or otherwise perform the duties of a contract of employment when the teacher has accepted other employment or is performing work for another employer that prevents the teacher from fulfilling the obligations of the contract of employment. H. A school district shall notify the State Board of Education within ten (10) days of the dismissal or nonreemployment of a probationary or career teacher for reasons outlined in subsection F of this section. Added by Laws 1989, 1st Ex. Sess., c. 2, § 77, operative July 1, 1990. Amended by Laws 1998, c. 411, § 2, eff. July 1, 1998; Laws 2006, c. 112, § 1, eff. July 1, 2006; Laws 2010, c. 291, § 10, eff. July 1, 2012; Laws 2013, c. 256, § 2, eff. July 1, 2013; Laws 2013, c. 373, § 5; Laws 2015, c. 365, § 5, eff. July 1, 2015; Laws 2016, c. 301, § 5, eff. July 1, 2016; Laws 2025, c. 101, § 4, eff. July 1, 2025.
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