1. A. Each school year, every fifth- through ninth-grade student in the public schools of this state shall be apprised, together with the student's parent, custodial parent, or guardian, of the student's opportunity for access to higher learning under the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the State Board of Education shall develop, promote, and coordinate a public awareness program to be utilized in making students and parents aware of the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program.
2. B. On a form provided by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, every public school district shall designate at least one Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program contact person, who shall be a counselor or teacher, at each public school site in this state in which ninth- or tenth-grade classes are taught. When requested by the State Regents, the State Board of Education shall assist the State Regents to ensure the designation of contact persons.

3. C. Ninth-grade students who qualify on the basis of financial need according to the standards and provisions promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall be given the opportunity throughout the ninth-grade year to enter into participation in the program by agreeing to, throughout the remainder of their school years:

   1. 1. Attend school regularly and do homework regularly;
   2. 2. Refrain from substance abuse;
   3. 3. Refrain from commission of crimes or delinquent acts;
   4. 4. Have school work and school records reviewed by mentors designated pursuant to the program;
   5. 5. Provide information requested by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education or the State Board of Education; and
   6. 6. Participate in program activities. The contact person at the school shall maintain the agreements, which shall be executed on forms provided by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and managed according to regulations promulgated by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and the contact person shall monitor the student's compliance with the terms of the agreement. Students failing to comply with the terms of the agreement shall not be eligible for the awards provided in Section 2604 of this title.
4. D. A student shall not be found to be in financial need for purposes of this act if the student's family income from taxable and nontaxable sources exceeds Twenty-four Thousand Dollars ($24,000.00) per year. The student's financial qualification shall be certified by the contact person at the school on the agreement form provided by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education; the form shall be retained in the student's permanent record and a copy forwarded to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

5. E. Agreements shall be witnessed by the student's parent, custodial parent, or guardian, who shall further agree to:

   1. 1. Assist the student in achieving compliance with the agreements;
   2. 2. Confer, when requested to do so, with the school contact person, other school personnel, and program mentors;
   3. 3. Provide information requested by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education or the State Board of Education; and
   4. 4. Assist the student in completing forms and reports required for program participation, making applications to institutions and schools of higher learning, and filing applications for student grants and scholarships.
6. F. Tenth-grade students who failed to enter into participation in the program during their ninth-grade year shall be allowed to enter into participation in the program by entering into agreements as set forth in subsections C and D of this section. Students who are in the tenth grade during the 1993-94 school year and who begin participating in the program during the 1993-94 school year shall be eligible for benefits from the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Trust Fund as though they had begun participating during their ninth-grade year. Beginning with the 1994-95 school year, students who begin participating in the program during their tenth-grade year shall be eligible for benefits from the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Trust Fund as provided in Section 2601 et seq. of this title only under the condition that the trust fund balance, excluding any amounts set aside for full commitments to Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program students pursuant to Section 2604 of this title, exceeds the amount necessary to satisfy awards due on behalf of Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program students who began participation during the ninth-grade year or who have priority as provided in Section 2604 of this title.
7. G. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall promulgate regulations for the determination of student compliance with agreements made pursuant to this section.
8. H. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall designate personnel to coordinate tracking of program records for the years when students participating in the program are still in the public schools, provide staff development for contact persons in the public schools, and provide liaison with the State Board of Education and local organizations and individuals participating in the program.
9. I. The local school district where an Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program student is attending when the student begins participation in the program and any subsequent school district where the student attends shall forward information regarding the student's participation in the program to a school to which the student transfers upon the school's request for the student's records.
10. J. Students participating in the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program shall provide their social security number or their student identification number used by their local high school to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The Regents shall keep the numbers confidential and use them only for administrative purposes.

Laws 1992, SB 156, c. 353, § 5, emerg. eff. July 1, 1992. Amended by Laws 1994, SB 959, c. 153, § 4, emerg. eff. May 3, 1994; Amended by Laws 1995, HB 1549, c. 322, § 30, emerg. eff. July 1, 1995; Amended by Laws 1996, SB 1164, c. 119, § 2, emerg. eff. July 1, 1996.