Oklahoma Supreme Court Permanently Blocks Social Studies Standards Adding 2020 Election ‘Discrepancies’ to State Curriculum

Students in Oklahoma will not be required to learn about “discrepancies” in the 2020 election after the state’s supreme court blocked social studies standards that were implemented earlier this year.The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the state Board of Education violated open meeting laws when it approved the curriculum. The February 27 vote on the standards became a source of controversy after half of the board members said they were unaware that the version they approved had been modified to include a provision that would have required students to identify “discrepancies” in the 2020 election. The standards also required elementary students to learn about how stories from the Bible and Jesus’s teachings “influenced the American colonists, founders, and culture.” Students in fifth through eighth grade also would have had to learn about the Judeo-Christian values that influenced America’s Founders.The modified version of the standards was not publicly shared until weeks after the vote, which the state’s high court said violated the law. A group of parents and faith leaders also argued that the social studies standards would “coercively subject” public school students to Christian teachings. The Oklahoma Supreme Court did not weigh in on the allegation that the standards infringed on students’ religious freedoms.Five justices on the court ruled against the standards, two dissented, and two recused themselves. In a statement, the state board of education said it “respects the ruling of the Oklahoma Supreme Court” and that the 2019 standards will remain in effect until the board develops a new curriculum. A lawyer who challenged the 2025 standards, Brent Rowland, said in a statement, “This is a victory for transparency, fairness, and the constitutional rights of all Oklahomans.”“The authority to govern comes with accountability for making decisions in the full view of the people the government serves. Public school classrooms may not be used to endorse religious doctrine — no matter what the religion is or how many people follow it,” he said. Oklahoma’s previous state superintendent, Ryan Walters, was behind the push by the state to infuse conservative and religious themes into public education in an effort to purge what he called “woke” education standards. Mr. Walters resigned in late September, and his successor, Lindel Fields, has taken steps to undo some of his agenda. In October, Mr. Fields rescinded Mr. Walters’ mandate to put Bibles in public school classrooms.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Permanently Blocks Social Studies Standards Adding 2020 Election ‘Discrepancies’ to State Curriculum

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