Oklahoma § 70-2501 - Short title — Oklahoma Access and Achievement Act —

§ 70-2501. Short title — Oklahoma Access and Achievement Act —

Creation of Oklahoma Access and Achievement Program — Eligibility.

A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Oklahoma

Access and Achievement Act”.

B. As used in this act:

1. “CTP program” means a degree, certificate, or nondegree

program that:

a.

is offered by an institution of higher education or a

technology center school,

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools

b.

is delivered to students physically attending the

institution of higher education or technology center

school,

c.

is designed to support students with intellectual

disabilities who are seeking to continue academic,

career and technical, and independent living

instruction at an institution of higher education or

technology center school to prepare for gainful

employment,

d.

includes an advising and curriculum structure,

e.

requires students with intellectual disabilities to

participate on not less than a half-time basis as

determined by the institution of higher education or

technology center school, with participation focusing

on academic components and occurring through one or

more of the following activities:

(1) regular enrollment in credit-bearing courses with

nondisabled students offered by the institution

of higher education or technology center school,

(2) auditing or participating in courses with

nondisabled students offered by the institution

for higher education or technology center school

for which the student does not receive regular

academic credit,

(3) enrollment in noncredit-bearing, nondegree

courses with nondisabled students, or

(4) participation in internships or work-based

training in settings with nondisabled persons,

f.

requires students with intellectual disabilities to be

socially and academically integrated with nondisabled

students to the maximum extent possible, and

g.

is approved by the United States Department of

Education pursuant to Public Law 110-315, the Higher

Education Opportunity Act, as amended;

2. “Eligible student” means a student with an intellectual

disability who is eligible for the scholarship program;

3. “Scholarship program” means the Oklahoma Access and

Achievement Program;

4. “State educational institution” means an institution of

higher education or technology center school supported wholly or in

part by direct legislative appropriations that provides a CTP

program;

5. “State Regents” means the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher

Education; and

6. “Student with an intellectual disability” means a student:

a.

with a cognitive impairment, characterized by

significant limitations in intellectual and cognitive

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools

functioning and adaptive behavior as expressed in

conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills, and

b.

who is currently or was formerly eligible for a free

appropriate public education under the Individuals

with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including a

student who was determined eligible for special

education or related services under IDEA but attended

a private school or was educated pursuant to the other

means of education exception provided for in

subsection A of Section 10-105 of Title 70 of the

Oklahoma Statutes.

C. There is hereby created a program to be known as the

Oklahoma Access and Achievement Program. The purpose of the program

is to provide an award to eligible students with intellectual

disabilities who are pursuing studies in this state at a CTP

program. The award shall be an amount equal to the nonguaranteed

resident tuition at an institution of higher education or the

tuition at a technology center school.

D. A student with an intellectual disability shall be eligible

for the Oklahoma Access and Achievement Program if the student:

1. Is a resident of this state or enrolled in a school district

located in this state that serves students who reside in both this

state and an adjacent state pursuant to a contract authorized by

Section 5-117.1 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

2. Is a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United

States. A student who is not a United States citizen or lawfully

present in the United States shall not be eligible to participate in

the scholarship program and qualify for an award;

3. Has graduated within the previous six (6) years from a

public high school accredited by the State Board of Education or a

private school, or has satisfactorily completed, within the previous

six (6) years, an educational program that was provided through a

means other than a public or private school;

4. Has secured admission to and enrolled in a CTP program at a

state educational institution that meets the requirements to be

eligible for federal student financial aid; and

5. Has established financial need according to the provisions

of Section 3 of this act and standards and provisions promulgated by

the State Regents.

E. To retain eligibility in the scholarship program, a student

with an intellectual disability shall:

1. Meet the requirements for retention and completion as

established by the state educational institution where the student

is enrolled;

2. Maintain satisfactory academic progress as required by the

CTP program criteria;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools

3. Comply with the standards related to maintenance of

eligibility as promulgated by the State Regents; and

4. Refrain from conduct that leads to expulsion or suspension

of more than one semester from a state educational institution. A

student who violates the provisions of this paragraph shall

permanently lose eligibility for scholarship program benefits.

F. The State Regents shall promulgate rules relating to the

establishment and maintenance of eligibility under the scholarship

program.

Added by Laws 2024, c. 330, § 1, eff. July 1, 2024.