Public school parent-led group provides social studies curriculum opt-out form

Yahoo

4 days ago

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – An Oklahoma public school parent-led group is providing easy access to forms that other parents can fill out with the intent of opting their children out of new controversial social studies standards curriculum.
News 4 has covered the revised standards extensively, which were given the go-ahead by the Oklahoma State Board of Education in February, with a majority vote. The standards feature an increased use of the Bible in the classroom, and also tell students to examine 'discrepancies in the 2020 election,' which has seen a mix of praise and criticism.
Some lawmakers questioned the contents of the social studies standards. They have said the proposed curriculum was factually inaccurate on several topics, including the 2020 election and the COVID pandemic. Legislators have also said the standards contain subjects that were not age-appropriate for each grade level. Legislative leaders allowed the standards to take effect regardless of those complaints.
Lawmakers will not consider resolution to stop proposed controversial social studies standards
'It leaves a lot of room for teaching what a person's personal beliefs are for the teachers versus actual fact-based curriculum,' said Saralynn Boren, with 'We're Oklahoma Education.'
Boren describes the group as being primarily led by Oklahoma parents, but says it has educators, grandparents, and other public education stakeholders involved across Oklahoma as well. She described the group as non-partisan, and said they come together from both sides of the aisle to advocate for inclusive public education.
Boren said the group first started creating opt-out letters to address content from conservative media group, PragerU. The letters have now been modified to address the new social studies standards.
'They're pushing ideologies that all parents aren't going to agree with, all students aren't going to agree with. And that's what we want to give parents the option to opt out of,' said Boren.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters addressed efforts to opt out of the standards during a May 22 news conference, calling the effort 'concerning' when it comes to teaching students American History.
'What we're trying to do is give your kid an understanding of history in America, where America came from, what beliefs influenced those individuals so that then they can understand American history,' said Walters.
Boren pointed out that Oklahoma already allows parents, by law, the opportunity to opt out of instruction that may violate their moral or religious beliefs.
'It's something that the conservatives pushed for saying this parent bill of rights, that parents should have the right to have a say in their students education, and it's the same for all parents,' said Boren.
Walters said Tuesday that while the effort was something he wished parents wouldn't do, he would continue to protect their ability to do what they thought was best for their kids.
'If he wants to talk about championing parents' rights, that he needs to understand that there are other parents that don't always agree with his right-wing ideologies,' said Boren.
It's an effort that may or may not prove to be necessary, with an Oklahoma County District judge set to consider Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. whether to grant an injunction on the social studies standards, which could block them entirely or allow them to move forward.
News 4 reached out to an OSDE spokesperson Tuesday for clarification on whether the opt-out forms are enforceable, but didn't hear back. The forms can be found here.
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