Oklahoma court stops social studies standards with 2020 election misinformation from taking effect

Audio By Carbonatix

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily put on hold proposed new social studies standards for K-12 public school students that include conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

The state’s high court issued a temporary stay on Monday while a lawsuit filed by a group of parents and educators challenging the new standards is being litigated. The court’s order directs the State Department of Education to keep the previous social studies standards in place while the case is being decided.

“This is a victory for transparency, fairness, and the constitutional rights of all Oklahomans," said Brent Rowland, legal director of Oklahoma Appleseed, which is helping to represent the plaintiffs. "The authority to govern comes with accountability for making decisions in the full view of the people the government serves."

After a group of parents, educators and other Oklahoma school officials worked to develop the new social studies standards, Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters assembled an executive committee consisting mostly of out-of-state pundits from conservative think-tanks to revise them. He said he wanted to focus more on American exceptionalism and incorporate the Bible as an instructional resource.

The new standards were also changed to include new language about the 2020 election and that the source of the COVID-19 virus was a Chinese lab, among other things.

Leaders in the Republican-led Oklahoma Legislature introduced a resolution this year to reject the standards, but there wasn’t enough GOP support to pass it.

In a statement Tuesday, Walters said the Supreme Court was “embarrassing” and out of step with most Oklahomans.

“Christianity, American exceptionalism, and conservative values are under attack and the Oklahoma Supreme Court is leading the assault,” Walters said of the nine-member court, six of whom were appointed by Republican governors.

Rowland applauded the stay as a step toward the kind of public education Oklahoma students deserve.

“Public school classrooms may not be used to endorse religious doctrine – no matter what the religion is or how many people follow it. Blocking these standards means Oklahoma students can learn history and civics in a way that respects every family’s beliefs while inspiring them to think critically, ask questions, and engage as informed members of our democracy,” he said.

A former public school teacher, Walters has leaned heavily into culture war issues as a pillar of his administration, even clashing with fellow Republicans over proposals to check the immigration status of children, require schools to incorporate the Bible into classroom instruction and require teachers from California and New York to pass a test designed to guard against “radical leftist ideology.”