Members of a state Senate committee have voted to restrict the routine, pre-scheduled use of virtual days in Oklahoma’s traditional public schools.

Senate Bill 758, by state Sen. Kristen Thompson, prohibits brick-and-mortar public schools from counting virtual days as part of the 180 days of instructions/1,080 hours of instruction required each school year, outside specific circumstances.

“We know that being in class with our high-quality educators, that is what’s best for our kids,” said Thompson, R-Edmond. “We know that more time in the classroom is better, not less.”

The bill allows exemptions when the governor has declared a state of emergency, the state superintendent of public instruction has approved a school’s use of virtual days, and the local school board has approved the plan.

SB 758 also requires school districts to publicly report the number of virtual days they employ each year and the reason for transitioning to virtual education.

In recent years many public schools have incorporated pre-planned virtual days into the school calendar. Critics note those days typically involve little teacher-student interaction and little to no work.

Out of more than 500 public school districts in Oklahoma, more than 100 districts reported having at least one site where students had two work weeks (10 days) or more consisting of virtual learning throughout the 2022-2023 school year with sites at more than 60 districts imposing distance learning for three or more work weeks.

The Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition argued the number of virtual days reported by districts to the Oklahoma State Department of Education for the 2022-2023 school year was not accurate. But many of those districts listed numerous pre-planned virtual days on their public school-year calendars.

In addition, many districts that have four-day school weeks have also combined a shortened week with pre-scheduled virtual days.

Thompson noted some districts in Oklahoma continue to use virtual days this year. She referenced school districts that currently have 11 days, 20 days, and 25 days of pre-planned virtual instruction worked into their current school-year calendars.

“I know that you all have received some emails (saying) that data is incorrect,” Thompson said. “I just want you to know a few things. We actually verified this with our very own eyeballs. And so this is what is publicly available on school sites right now.”

She said other states that allow virtual days typically restrict their use far more than what has occurred in Oklahoma.

Nationally, the average K–12 school is in session for 179 days a year without about seven hours spent in school each day. But in Oklahoma, schools can provide just 165 days of instruction, so long as 1,080 hours of total learning occur over the course of the year. With the use of virtual days as part of the calendar, many Oklahoma schools effectively have school years falling well below even the 165-day requirement.

A May 2022 report from the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University found that “remote instruction was a primary driver of widening achievement gaps” during the COVID pandemic.

Even opponents of SB 758 have conceded that virtual school days are very flawed.

At a February press conference, state Rep. Michelle McClain, D-Tulsa, who worked for a public school district prior to her election, said that “none of us like virtual days as educators. It is our least favorite thing.”

She further conceded, “I promise you, no teacher is super-excited about virtual days. It requires far more work and effort on our part, and attendance is much worse.”

SB 758 passed the Senate Education Committee on a 7-5 vote. The bill now proceeds to the floor of the Oklahoma Senate.