To be eligible to be a candidate for member of the board of education of a school district, a person must have resided within the geographical boundaries of the ward, or election district, for at least six (6) months preceding the first day of the filing period, and have been a registered voter registered with the county election board at an address located within the geographical boundaries of the ward (election district) for at least six months preceding the first day of the filing period.

In our school district candidates file by election district. Any candidate otherwise eligible must be registered the requisite length of time at an address within the geographical boundaries of the applicable ward (election district) within our school district.

No person shall be eligible to be a candidate for or elected to be a member of the board of education of a school district unless the person has been awarded a high school diploma or certificate of high school equivalency.

A person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor involving embezzlement or a felony under the laws of this state, or of the United States, or who has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to such misdemeanor involving embezzlement or felony, or who has been convicted of a crime in another state which would have been a misdemeanor involving embezzlement of a felony under the laws of this state or has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to such crime shall not be eligible to be a candidate for or be elected to any state, county, municipal, judicial, or school office or any other elective office of any political subdivision of this state for a period of fifteen years following completion of his sentence or during the pendency of an appeal of such conviction or plea.

No person shall be eligible to be a candidate for or serve on a board of education if he or she is currently employed by the school district governed by the board of education, or is related within the second degree by affinity or consanguinity to any other member of the board of education or to any employee of the school district. The following are relatives within the second degree: A candidate’s spouse, child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, brother, sister, spouse’s child, spouse’s grandchild, spouse’s brother, spouse’s sister, spouse’s grandparent, grandchild’s spouse, parent’s spouse, and child’s spouse.

Candidates must affirm that upon being elected as a member of the Board of Education, within fifteen (15) months of election, they will complete at least twelve (12) hours of instruction on education issues, including school finance, Oklahoma education laws, ethics, duties and responsibilities of district board of education members.