Ryan Walters, education board sued over social studies standards approval process
Former Attorney General Mike Hunter is representing the group in the suit, which he announced at a May 7 news conference. The lawsuit contends the board violated its procedures and state law in the way the controversial standards were approved. The plaintiffs are asking an Oklahoma County District Court judge to review the approval process and determine whether the process was legal.
The challenge comes after the Oklahoma Senate declined to act on a resolution that would have rejected the standards, which are infused with election-denial language and Biblical references.
More: Senate doesn't act to reject social studies standards that question 2020 election results
Senate Education Committee Chair Sen. Adam Pugh had filed the resolution April 24 after three new Oklahoma State Board of Education members said they felt Walters deceived them by making last-minute additions to the standards without notifying them or the public.
The standards have been at the center of controversy since they were introduced in December with dozens of mentions of the Bible. Recent changes include a section that says high school students 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.'
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ryan Walters, OSBE sued over social studies standards approval process
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