Bill to Stop Classroom Violence Faces Deadline

Written by on

Updated: 05.11.2026

Classroom Safety Bill fails deadline despite overwhelming support.

The Classroom Safety bill (HB 3885) sailed through the House earlier this Session with strong bipartisan support, passing the chamber 83–14 and bolstered by more than 1,000 letters of support from POE members.

Yet, despite clear momentum, broad Senate support, and never failing a single vote, the measure was blocked from reaching the Senate floor and denied a final vote in the chamber.

“It is more than disappointing that a common-sense bill to protect students and teachers would fail because of Senate politics,” said House author, Rep. Josh Cantrell. “Political gamesmanship should never stand in the way of protecting our students and teachers from violence. Our classrooms must be safe.”

The need for this legislation remains urgent. Elementary students, educators, and volunteers deserve the same protections already provided in upper grades, and serious violence in classrooms must be met with clear, timely action.

Sen. Kelly Hines, the Senate author, expressed his deep frustration about the bill’s failure in a conversation with POE’s team. Hines made it clear that this issue is not going away, and neither is his resolve to move the legislation forward next year.

To every POE member who spoke out, sent a letter, and stood up for classroom safety: thank you. Your voice helped drive this bill further than ever before and sent a clear message to state lawmakers—violence in our classrooms cannot be ignored.

The work to protect Oklahoma classrooms is not over, and POE members will continue leading the charge.

ThankYou!

To view the bill’s vote counts and full history, tap here: Classroom Safety bill vote counts and history
 

Original Post:

Violent assaults against elementary school teachers are no longer rare incidents. In too many Oklahoma schools, teachers working with young children are being punched, kicked, choked, and threatened with alarming regularity. After such attacks, students and teachers too often find themselves placed back in the same situation the very next day, with little to no meaningful intervention. Though an attack may last only a few moments, the damage to students, teachers, and the learning environment persists.

Though an attack may last only a few moments, the damage to students, teachers, and the learning environment persists.

House Bill 3885 addresses this problem by compelling immediate disciplinary intervention. The bill builds on Oklahoma’s existing disciplinary policy for students in grades six through twelve by extending a similar framework to students in grades three through five, with several important modifications. Under HB 3885, any student in grades three through five who assaults or attempts to cause physical injury to a school employee or school volunteer will be subject to:
 
  • a three-day in-school suspension for the first offense
  • a seven-day out-of-school suspension for the second offense
  • suspension for the remainder of the school year for a third offense
However, the bill allows for the district superintendent to modify any of these suspension terms on a case-by-case basis to account for mitigating or compounding factors. The bill requires meaningful action, but grants flexibility for nuanced approaches.
At its core, the purpose of the bill is to ensure that serious violence in elementary schools is met with a clear, structured response rather than delay, inconsistency, or inaction. The bill establishes a straightforward disciplinary framework that gives school administrators repeated opportunities to intervene, address violent behavior, and correct it before it worsens. The bill does not dictate specifics, but ensures action is taken to protect our students, teachers, and school community.
Broad support for HB 3885 is evident. Nearly 80% of respondents in a recent POE survey said they support or strongly support the bill, and it passed the Oklahoma House on a bipartisan 83–14 vote. Yet despite that momentum, the bill may still face an uphill challenge in the Senate—not because of opposition, but because of time.
 
The Oklahoma Legislature has set an early end date of May 1. This means HB 3885 must pass the Senate Education Committee by April 21 and the full Senate Chamber by May 1. The bill has the support, the question is: does it have the time?
 
HB 3885 bill is not simply about discipline; it is about student and teacher safety.

Nearly 80% of respondents in a recent POE survey said they support or strongly support the House Bill 3885.