Apprenticeships, Internships and Mentorships (AIM) Act of 2016; directing the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to obtain certain insurance coverage. Effective date. Emergency.
SB195 amends Oklahoma’s Apprenticeships, Internships and Mentorships (AIM) Act of 2016 to update the statutory language governing school-based apprenticeship, internship, and mentorship programs. The bill continues to authorize public, private, magnet, public charter, and public virtual charter schools to enter into agreements with public or private organizations to create these programs for eligible high school students, including sophomores age 16 or older, juniors, and seniors. It also preserves the rule that participation may count toward elective credit, but not as a substitute for other required state curriculum requirements unless otherwise allowed by law.
A major change in the bill is the shift in responsibility for liability insurance coverage from the school governing body to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES). Under the bill, OMES must obtain liability insurance for participating students, and neither OMES nor the schools may directly or indirectly charge students, parents, guardians, or school governing bodies for the cost of that coverage. The bill also clarifies that a failure to obtain insurance, or to obtain a specific amount of coverage, does not create legal liability for the student, parent or guardian, or school governing body. The State Board of Education is authorized to promulgate rules to determine whether these programs qualify for academic credit toward graduation requirements.
SB195 would amend 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.528-1, affecting the statutory framework for school-based apprenticeships, internships, and mentorships in Oklahoma. It would transfer the insurance-procurement duty to OMES, prohibit cost pass-through to students or schools, and preserve the ability of schools to offer these programs as elective or potentially credit-bearing opportunities under State Board of Education rules. The bill primarily affects school districts, charter schools, private schools participating in the AIM framework, OMES, students in grades 10-12, and any public or private organizations partnering with schools.
The available context suggests generally favorable or at least routine legislative treatment, with the bill moving to second reading and referral to the Education committee and no recorded votes or committee transcript indicating opposition. The bill’s purpose appears aligned with expanding or stabilizing career-connected learning opportunities for high school students while addressing insurance administration. Because there is no recorded debate in the provided materials, the overall sentiment can only be inferred as neutral to supportive based on the bill’s advancement and lack of documented controversy.
The main point of potential contention is the reassignment of insurance responsibility from individual schools to OMES, which could raise questions about administrative burden, cost, and implementation. Another possible issue is the bill’s prohibition on charging students, parents, guardians, or schools for insurance coverage, which may be supported as a consumer-protection measure but could be debated as an unfunded administrative requirement. A further area of interest is the extent to which apprenticeships, internships, and mentorships should count toward academic credit and graduation requirements, though the bill leaves that determination to State Board of Education rules.