The Supreme Court of Oklahoma ruled that the controversial social studies standards approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Education earlier this year will not go into effect. | VIDEO ABOVE | State Supt. Ryan Walters calls state Supreme Court’s stay on social studies standards ’embarrassing’The ruling said that the Oklahoma State Board of Education, under the leadership of former State Superintendent Ryan Walters, violated the Open Meeting Act when it approved the 2025 Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies. The 2019 standards are to remain in effect until the board creates new standards, which must then be approved by the state Legislature. Although the Legislature allowed the new standards, which were quietly changed after public comment last year, to be implemented, the court said that did not cure the board’s violation of the Open Meeting Act. Bigger pictureThe Oklahoma State Board of Education votes on new academic standards every six years. The state Legislature was tasked with approving the new standards. Because they did not oppose the social studies standards, they went into effect with no formal action after 30 days. The 2025 standards presented at the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting were quietly changed before the Feb. 27, 2025, meeting, adding claims of “discrepancies” in the 2020 presidential election and that the COVID-19 virus began in a Chinese lab.The court ruled that board members were only given 17 hours’ notice of the proposed standards before the February State Board of Education meeting, and the changed standards were not available to the public or the board at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of parents, teachers and religious leaders. The social studies standards presented at the State Board of Education meeting in Dec. 2024, were not the same as the standards voted on during the Feb. 27, 2025, meeting. Under Oklahoma law, the public and members of a board must be given 24 hours’ notice of a meeting by posting the date, time or agenda for the public to see. However, the court said the agenda was not sufficient in this case because the standards that were to be voted on were not the same as the ones presented in December. >> Video Below: State Supt. Ryan Walters calls state Supreme Court’s stay on social studies standards ’embarrassing’ The court said that board members were only given 17 hours’ notice of the proposed standards before the February State Board of Education meeting.The version of the standards approved by the board in February was not publicly posted until after the board voted on them. Three board members said in a following meeting that they did not know the version they voted on was different from the December version of the standards. Changes to the proposed and approved social studies standards The changes to the social studies standards included claims of “discrepancies” in the 2020 presidential election. The board-approved standards under USH9.3, which analyzes the significant events under President Donald Trump’s first administration, said curriculum should “identify discrepancies in 2020 elections results by looking at graphs and other information, including the sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states, the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps, an unforeseen record number of voters, and the unprecedented contradiction of ‘bellwether county’ trends.”>> Video Below: Judge rules students will learn new Oklahoma social studies standards. It won’t happen anytime soonThere was no evidence found that there was widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election.The first draft of standards was much vaguer on the topic, saying curriculum should “examine issues related to the election of 2020 and its outcome.”The revised standards also removed the impact George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement had on the nation. The 177-page list of the board-approved standards can be found here.>> Video Below: Lawsuit against Ryan Walters, OSDE questions process used to pass social studies standardsSection USH.9.4, which analyzes the significant events during President Joe Biden’s Administration, also saw changes.The board-approved standards removed mentions of the economic recovery that the U.S. saw after COVID-19. It also removed curriculum requirements surrounding “bi-partisan efforts to address the nation’s infrastructural needs.”While the revision process was discussed in a slide show during the meeting, it made no mention of these specific changes.The standards also included dozens of references to the Bible and Christianity.>> Video Below: Ryan Walters: The Bible isn’t’ the only religious text to be taught in new social studies standardsThe February vote was the first State Board of Education meeting since Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed three new members to the board. Those new board members asked to schedule a special meeting to discuss the new standards in order to fully review them before a vote. Walters asked that the vote not be delayed so the standards could quickly move to the Legislature.”Is there a way to get this ahead of time, where the board has more time to do it, or is that just on us to go online and try to find them when we know it’s being done?” new board member Michael Tinney asked.>> Video Below: State Board of Education-approved social studies standards add 2020 election ‘discrepancies'”Well, I will say you guys were appointed here pretty recently, so the governor decided to put you guys on this board on a very short timeline. This has been something that’s been going on for nearly 10 months here,” Walters responded.The board voted 6-1 to send those standards to the Legislature. Ryan Deatherage, one of the new board members who asked for more time to review the standards, was the only dissenting vote.The court’s orderIn September, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma ordered a temporary stay, ruling that the state shall treat the 2019 social studies standards as the applicable standards until further notice. The court’s December decision now prohibits the standards from going into effect at all.While the standards initially took effect this school year, few districts have implemented the new social studies standards. Many districts in the Oklahoma City metro told KOCO 5 that the standards will not go into effect for at least a year.The Oklahoma State Board of Education is now tasked with approving new standards to replace the 2019 standards. The Oklahoma State Department of Education is now under the leadership of State Superintendent Lindel Fields, who was appointed to the position after Walters left office for a job in the private sector. >> Video Below: WATCH FULL: Gov. Kevin Stitt announces Lindel Fields as new Oklahoma state superintendent
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma ruled that the controversial social studies standards approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Education earlier this year will not go into effect.
The ruling said that the Oklahoma State Board of Education, under the leadership of former State Superintendent Ryan Walters, violated the Open Meeting Act when it approved the 2025 Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies. The 2019 standards are to remain in effect until the board creates new standards, which must then be approved by the state Legislature.
Although the Legislature allowed the new standards, which were quietly changed after public comment last year, to be implemented, the court said that did not cure the board’s violation of the Open Meeting Act.
Bigger picture
- The Oklahoma State Board of Education votes on new academic standards every six years.
- The state Legislature was tasked with approving the new standards. Because they did not oppose the social studies standards, they went into effect with no formal action after 30 days.
- The 2025 standards presented at the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting were quietly changed before the Feb. 27, 2025, meeting, adding claims of “discrepancies” in the 2020 presidential election and that the COVID-19 virus began in a Chinese lab.
- The court ruled that board members were only given 17 hours’ notice of the proposed standards before the February State Board of Education meeting, and the changed standards were not available to the public or the board at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.
- The lawsuit was filed on behalf of parents, teachers and religious leaders.
The social studies standards presented at the State Board of Education meeting in Dec. 2024, were not the same as the standards voted on during the Feb. 27, 2025, meeting.
Under Oklahoma law, the public and members of a board must be given 24 hours’ notice of a meeting by posting the date, time or agenda for the public to see. However, the court said the agenda was not sufficient in this case because the standards that were to be voted on were not the same as the ones presented in December.
>> Video Below: State Supt. Ryan Walters calls state Supreme Court’s stay on social studies standards ’embarrassing’
The court said that board members were only given 17 hours’ notice of the proposed standards before the February State Board of Education meeting.
The version of the standards approved by the board in February was not publicly posted until after the board voted on them. Three board members said in a following meeting that they did not know the version they voted on was different from the December version of the standards.
Changes to the proposed and approved social studies standards
The changes to the social studies standards included claims of “discrepancies” in the 2020 presidential election.
The board-approved standards under USH9.3, which analyzes the significant events under President Donald Trump’s first administration, said curriculum should “identify discrepancies in 2020 elections results by looking at graphs and other information, including the sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states, the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps, an unforeseen record number of voters, and the unprecedented contradiction of ‘bellwether county’ trends.”
>> Video Below: Judge rules students will learn new Oklahoma social studies standards. It won’t happen anytime soon
There was no evidence found that there was widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election.
The first draft of standards was much vaguer on the topic, saying curriculum should “examine issues related to the election of 2020 and its outcome.”
The revised standards also removed the impact George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement had on the nation. The 177-page list of the board-approved standards can be found here.
>> Video Below: Lawsuit against Ryan Walters, OSDE questions process used to pass social studies standards
Section USH.9.4, which analyzes the significant events during President Joe Biden’s Administration, also saw changes.
The board-approved standards removed mentions of the economic recovery that the U.S. saw after COVID-19. It also removed curriculum requirements surrounding “bi-partisan efforts to address the nation’s infrastructural needs.”
While the revision process was discussed in a slide show during the meeting, it made no mention of these specific changes.
The standards also included dozens of references to the Bible and Christianity.
>> Video Below: Ryan Walters: The Bible isn’t’ the only religious text to be taught in new social studies standards
The February vote was the first State Board of Education meeting since Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed three new members to the board. Those new board members asked to schedule a special meeting to discuss the new standards in order to fully review them before a vote.
Walters asked that the vote not be delayed so the standards could quickly move to the Legislature.
“Is there a way to get this ahead of time, where the board has more time to do it, or is that just on us to go online and try to find them when we know it’s being done?” new board member Michael Tinney asked.
>> Video Below: State Board of Education-approved social studies standards add 2020 election ‘discrepancies’
“Well, I will say you guys were appointed here pretty recently, so the governor decided to put you guys on this board on a very short timeline. This has been something that’s been going on for nearly 10 months here,” Walters responded.
The board voted 6-1 to send those standards to the Legislature. Ryan Deatherage, one of the new board members who asked for more time to review the standards, was the only dissenting vote.
The court’s order
In September, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma ordered a temporary stay, ruling that the state shall treat the 2019 social studies standards as the applicable standards until further notice. The court’s December decision now prohibits the standards from going into effect at all.
While the standards initially took effect this school year, few districts have implemented the new social studies standards. Many districts in the Oklahoma City metro told KOCO 5 that the standards will not go into effect for at least a year.
The Oklahoma State Board of Education is now tasked with approving new standards to replace the 2019 standards.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is now under the leadership of State Superintendent Lindel Fields, who was appointed to the position after Walters left office for a job in the private sector.
>> Video Below: WATCH FULL: Gov. Kevin Stitt announces Lindel Fields as new Oklahoma state superintendent