A. Upon a majority vote of the electors in a school district voting at the annual school district election or at a special school district election called for such purpose and held not later than June 30, either a high school or a grade school, or both, shall be dispensed with for the ensuing year. An election for such purpose shall also be held upon petition for an election, signed by forty percent (40%) of the school district electors. To calculate the sufficiency of the number of signatures on a petition, the forty percent (40%) figure shall be applied to the highest number of voters voting in a regular school election in the school district in the preceding five (5) years as determined by the secretary of the county election board. The secretary of the county election board shall certify the sufficiency of the number of signatures on the petition. The election shall be conducted by the county election board in accordance with Sections 13A-101 through 13A-111 of Title 26 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The secretary of the county election board shall notify the State Board of Education of the results of every election held to dispense with school.

B. All of the pupils who would be entitled to attend school in the grades dispensed with shall be transferred to another school district or districts maintaining courses of instruction which such pupils are entitled to pursue. The parent or guardian of each child to be transferred shall be required to file an application for the transfer of the child or children with the State Department of Education, within ten (10) days after the results of the election are declared. The procedures for such transfers shall be determined by the State Board of Education.

C. Any school district which dispenses with its entire school district for the ensuing year, as provided herein, shall be mandatorily annexed on July 1 by the State Board of Education to another school district or other districts to which pupils of such dispensed school district have been transferred. Provided, if a school district does not officially dispense with its school and fails to open or maintain a school for such ensuing year, the State Board of Education, except in cases where reasons over which the district had no control causes a normal delay in the opening or maintenance of such school, shall at its next regular meeting, annex such school district to another school district or other districts to which pupils have been transferred. Provided further that if a school district does not have an average daily attendance that meets the State Board of Education regulations for accrediting purposes and does not dispense with its school by June 30, the State Board of Education shall annex such district to the high school transportation area in which the district is situated at the first regular or special meeting in July.

Laws 1971, c. 281, § 8-106, eff. July 2, 1971; Laws 1990, c. 284, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1990; Laws 1992, c. 324, § 13, eff. July 1, 1992; Laws 1993, c. 239, § 37, eff. July 1, 1993.