Latest news with #OklahomaBoardofEducation
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Judge set to rule on future of controversial Oklahoma social studies standards
A ruling on Oklahoma's controversial social studies standards has yet to be made in a legal challenge in Oklahoma County District Court attempting to prevent their implementation. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — After nearly three hours of oral arguments Wednesday, an Oklahoma County district judge said he isn't ready to rule on a legal challenge to the state's controversial social studies standards. District Judge Brent Dishman said he wanted to wait for a written response from the group challenging the standards after the Oklahoma Board of Education moved to dismiss the case, arguing that critics failed to point to any violation of statute, and the state agency followed the process as required by law. Dishman has been asked to either implement an injunction to block the standards from being implemented or to dismiss the legal challenge outright. A group of seven Oklahoma parents, grandparents and teachers represented by former Republican Attorney General Mike Hunter have sued and asked Dishman to nullify the controversial academic standards, which include language about discrepancies in the 2020 election, the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and biblical lessons. Michael Beason, the state Department of Education's attorney, argued Wednesday that the lawsuit is a waste of taxpayer dollars as the defense 'searches for a needle in a haystack.' He said a handful of educators don't like the standards and the plaintiffs 'do not have a case recognized under Oklahoma law.' The plaintiffs, though, argued the process used to implement the rules was flawed and the results are not 'accurate' or 'best practices' for academic standards. The new academic standards for social studies are reviewed every six years, but state Superintendent Ryan Walters, who was not present at Wednesday's hearing, enlisted national conservative media personalities and right-wing policy advocates to aid in writing the latest version of the standards this year. Around half of the members of the state Board of Education later said they weren't aware of last minute changes Walters made to the standards, but only one board member, Ryan Deatherage, voted against them. While lawmakers allowed the standards to take effect, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle called for them to be sent back to the board to be reconsidered. After the hearing, Hunter said he appreciated Dishman's 'careful interest' in the arguments and that he expected a ruling by the end of June. 'Despite the arguments of the defendants, there has to be a recourse by citizens when there's a process like this that is so flawed,' he said. 'No vote by the Legislature and then an action of a state agency becomes law. If we believe the defendant's arguments today, that Oklahoma citizens have no recourse in this situation based on a strained construction of the statutes, I just don't think that's good government, and I don't think that that's a correct argument, nor do I think the judge is gonna buy it.' James Welch, an Oklahoma teacher and plaintiff in the case, testified at Wednesday's hearing that the review process was not a true 'collaboration of experts in the field and teachers in the classroom' like he thought it would be. Using a math analogy, the judge asked Welch, a volunteer member of the standards writing committee, if he would feel the same way about the standards and process if the subject were instead math and the standards omitted trigonometry. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Welch said he would because omitting the most up-to-date standards of learning means students don't achieve full understanding of a subject. While the defense did not comment after the hearing, they argued that the plaintiffs could not point to a specific violation of law and simply didn't like what was in the standards. Chad Kutmas, an attorney for the state Board of Education, said the plaintiffs 'complain about how the sausage is made, but that's just how it's made.' 'Everyone knew it was going on and the political body let it happen,' he said. 'It's inappropriate for a court to step in at this late stage.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Judge set to rule on future of controversial Oklahoma social studies standards
A ruling on Oklahoma's controversial social studies standards has yet to be made in a legal challenge in Oklahoma County District Court attempting to prevent their implementation. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — After nearly three hours of oral arguments Wednesday, an Oklahoma County district judge said he isn't ready to rule on a legal challenge to the state's controversial social studies standards. District Judge Brent Dishman said he wanted to wait for a written response from the group challenging the standards after the Oklahoma Board of Education moved to dismiss the case, arguing that critics failed to point to any violation of statute, and the state agency followed the process as required by law. Dishman has been asked to either implement an injunction to block the standards from being implemented or to dismiss the legal challenge outright. A group of seven Oklahoma parents, grandparents and teachers represented by former Republican Attorney General Mike Hunter have sued and asked Dishman to nullify the controversial academic standards, which include language about discrepancies in the 2020 election, the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and biblical lessons. Michael Beason, the state Department of Education's attorney, argued Wednesday that the lawsuit is a waste of taxpayer dollars as the defense 'searches for a needle in a haystack.' He said a handful of educators don't like the standards and the plaintiffs 'do not have a case recognized under Oklahoma law.' The plaintiffs, though, argued the process used to implement the rules was flawed and the results are not 'accurate' or 'best practices' for academic standards. The new academic standards for social studies are reviewed every six years, but state Superintendent Ryan Walters, who was not present at Wednesday's hearing, enlisted national conservative media personalities and right-wing policy advocates to aid in writing the latest version of the standards this year. Around half of the members of the state Board of Education later said they weren't aware of last minute changes Walters made to the standards, but only one board member, Ryan Deatherage, voted against them. While lawmakers allowed the standards to take effect, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle called for them to be sent back to the board to be reconsidered. After the hearing, Hunter said he appreciated Dishman's 'careful interest' in the arguments and that he expected a ruling by the end of June. 'Despite the arguments of the defendants, there has to be a recourse by citizens when there's a process like this that is so flawed,' he said. 'No vote by the Legislature and then an action of a state agency becomes law. If we believe the defendant's arguments today, that Oklahoma citizens have no recourse in this situation based on a strained construction of the statutes, I just don't think that's good government, and I don't think that that's a correct argument, nor do I think the judge is gonna buy it.' James Welch, an Oklahoma teacher and plaintiff in the case, testified at Wednesday's hearing that the review process was not a true 'collaboration of experts in the field and teachers in the classroom' like he thought it would be. Using a math analogy, the judge asked Welch, a volunteer member of the standards writing committee, if he would feel the same way about the standards and process if the subject were instead math and the standards omitted trigonometry. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Welch said he would because omitting the most up-to-date standards of learning means students don't achieve full understanding of a subject. While the defense did not comment after the hearing, they argued that the plaintiffs could not point to a specific violation of law and simply didn't like what was in the standards. Chad Kutmas, an attorney for the state Board of Education, said the plaintiffs 'complain about how the sausage is made, but that's just how it's made.' 'Everyone knew it was going on and the political body let it happen,' he said. 'It's inappropriate for a court to step in at this late stage.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds voice opposition to counting undocumented students in Oklahoma schools
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Hundreds of public comments were submitted in opposition to an Oklahoma Board of Education proposed rule that would count undocumented students and their families. After an open records request and two months, the public comments were sent to News 4 from the Oklahoma Department of Education. The document was nearly 1,200 pages long with most of the comments against the proposed rule. 'I see no reason for these proposed rules, they are not needed and burdensome. Unfortunately, Ryan Walters comes across as a strident, hateful person. He doesn't seem to be doing his job. He needs to spend more time affirming teachers and getting the funding they need to educate children in reading, English, mathematics, and science,' commented one person. The comments went in-depth in some instances, with many mentioning the Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe which ruled that states cannot deny undocumented children access to free public education, as it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. 'I was born and raised in Oklahoma, I am an army Infantry veteran with two college degrees. I served my country to protect its people and to protect the American dream. I am also a constitutional conservative who is married to an immigrant,' commented someone else. 'If this passes I hope you are prepared for many legal and civil cases vs the state of Oklahoma for violation of constitutional rights and discrimination. If we can spend millions and millions of dollars on basketball arenas, I'm sure the tax payers are not burdened by educating the future of Oklahoma.' There were about three that were commenting in support of the proposed rule. 'As a taxpayer in this country and the State of Oklahoma, I cannot see any reason to allocate any taxpayer-funded resources to the lawbreakers that have invaded our country. On the contrary, we should be doing everything possible to discourage this invasion promoted by the incompetency at the Federal level. By all means account for every illegal that presents themselves for a free ride at taxpayers' expense. Then bill the feds!' Supt. Walters settles ethics complaint, still faces separate investigation Despite hundreds of public comments submitted that were opposed to the proposed rule and dozens who showed up to speak publicly against it in January, the rule was approved by the board. 'The rule is simply data and information gather,' said Supt. Walters at a previous meeting. He has mentioned in the past that several parents had reached out in support of the proposed rule but only three public comments were found in the nearly 1,200-page document. 'I don't think it came as any surprise to anybody that the superintendent and the board at the time would choose not to follow the comments,' said David Blatt of the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice. Blatt and OK Appleseed sent in one of the many public comments opposed. 'We've heard nothing but opposition and resistance at the local level as well as at the state level to this idea,' said Blatt. Several major organizations and agencies submitted public comments as well including people from Owasso Public Schools, Deer Creek Public Schools, and the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. Of the many submitted there were parents, teachers, students, Republicans, Democrats, pastors, lawyers, and people from towns and cities across Oklahoma. 'I have been a registered Republican for 59 years. You and Mr. Trump's and Mr. Stitt's lies, and rhetoric and attempted policies have made me and my husband decide to leave the Republican party. Thank you for all your hard work to accomplish this,' commented someone else. Teachers to be required to take U.S. Naturalization test The new Stitt-appointed board members expressed concern with this exact proposed rule but they do not have the power to change it or to go back on it right now. There is a bill that is expected to be voted on next week before the Oklahoma House Friday deadline that would give more power to board members. 'I am not surprised at the amount of public comments,' said Representative Ronny Johns (R-Ada). Johns is the author of the bill that would give board members more power. Since the proposed rules were approved Governor Stitt, Senate Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, and others at the capitol have voiced concern. The governor specifically said about Supt. Walters, 'Leave the kids out of it.' Other public comments opposed the proposed rule that would require teachers to take a test based on the U.S. Naturalization test, the same test used to become U.S. citizens. News 4 reached out to OSDE to ask if the board members had read all of the public comments before making their vote to approve the rules. News 4 also asked if these comments happened to change anything before the final vote came. We have not heard back yet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
14-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Oklahoma Proposes Teaching 2020 Election ‘Discrepancies' in U.S. History
High school students in Oklahoma would be asked to identify 'discrepancies' in the 2020 election as part of U.S. history classes, according to new social studies standards recently approved by the Oklahoma Board of Education. The proposed standards seem to echo President Trump's false claims about his 2020 defeat. They ask students to examine factors such as 'the sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states' and 'the security risks of mail-in balloting.' They now head to the state's Republican-controlled Legislature, which could take up the issue before its term ends in late May, or punt the issue to the governor's desk. The standards, supported by the state's hard-charging Republican superintendent, have already received pushback, including from Gov. Kevin Stitt, also a Republican, whose office characterized the changes as a 'distraction.' A spokeswoman said the governor had not yet seen the standards in full and it was not clear if he would support them. The additions related to the 2020 election are among several changes that injected a strong conservative viewpoint to the state's portrayal of modern American politics and Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump repeatedly denied the results of the 2020 election, a view that has been widely embraced by some Republicans, despite a lack of evidence. An earlier version of the new standards — which were released for public comment in December — simply asked students to examine 'issues related to the election of 2020 and its outcome.' The new changes were made after the public comment period and quietly approved by the Board of Education last month. They were first reported by NonDoc, a nonprofit news outlet in Oklahoma. The state superintendent, Ryan Walters, said that the standards were not meant to 'support or negate a specific outcome' and that 'a well-rounded student should be able to make their own conclusions using publicly available data and details.' In a statement, he said, 'We believe in giving the next generation the ability to think for themselves rather than accepting radical positions on the election outcome as it is reported by the media.' Mr. Walters, a former history teacher and Trump ally, has emerged as a combative culture warrior in education and national politics. His push to put Bibles in every Oklahoma classroom is being battled in court, and he was briefly floated as a candidate for U.S. secretary of education, before Mr. Trump nominated the former pro-wrestling executive Linda McMahon. But within his own state, Mr. Walters has clashed with members of his party, including Governor Stitt, who was once an ally. Most recently, the two went head-to-head over Mr. Walters's plan to collect the citizenship status of public school children, which Governor Stitt vowed to fight. Amid his feud with Mr. Walters, and after new national test scores showed Oklahoma remaining near the bottom in reading and math, Mr. Stitt last month replaced half of the state's Board of Education. The board is made up of five governor appointees and Mr. Walters, who was elected. At least one of the new members said he had not been informed of the changes to the social studies standards, which were approved two weeks after the new members joined. A spokeswoman for the governor, Abegail Cave, said the governor's priority was transforming Oklahoma into 'the best state for education.' 'He thinks a lot of what has happened over the past few months and past few years has been more of a distraction,' Ms. Cave said. The new social studies standards, she said, 'follow the pattern of being a distraction.' Standards for academic subject areas are rewritten every six years in Oklahoma under state law. They include lengthy outlines on what public schools are expected to teach and what students should know at different grade levels. For example, U.S. history students in Oklahoma learn about the civil rights movement, including key court cases, tactics such as the Montgomery bus boycott and violent responses to the movement, including the Birmingham church bombing and the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The changes centered on more recent history. In examining significant events during Mr. Trump's first term, an earlier version of the standards had asked students to 'explain the responses to and impact of the death of George Floyd, including the Black Lives Matter movement.' In the latest version, that standard was removed. Another change involved the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic. Students would be asked to identify the source of the pandemic as coming from a Chinese lab. That theory has long been hotly debated, but is embraced by Republicans and increasingly favored by C.I.A. officials. The earlier version was less pointed: 'Evaluate federal and private response to the Covid epidemic, as well as its lasting impact on global health and American society.' Mr. Walters said the various changes 'give students the best opportunity to learn about history without leftist activists indoctrinating kids.' His office did not respond to questions about why the edits were made after the period of public review. State Representative John Waldron, a former social studies teacher who is now vice chair of the House Democratic caucus, said he would oppose the changes and accused Mr. Walters of subverting the typical process to insert his own political beliefs. 'The state superintendent campaigned to end indoctrination in our schools, but what he is doing instead with these new standards is promoting his own brand of indoctrination,' Mr. Waldron said in an interview. The edits also made more subtle changes to a unit on 'the challenges and accomplishments' of Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s administration. They removed bullet points on the country's economic recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic and on a signature $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Remaining were bullet points on the 'the United States-Mexico border crisis' and Mr. Biden's foreign policies on issues like the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Education Department seeks to buy Bible lessons for Oklahoma elementary kids
Books including the Holy Bible are stacked on a table at the Oklahoma Board of Education meeting on June 27, 2024. (Photo by Jake Ramsey/Oklahoma Watch) While its effort to buy Bibles for classrooms is tied up in court, the Oklahoma Department of Education initiated a new vendor search to purchase materials containing Bible-infused character lessons for elementary-aged students. The department is looking to buy supplemental instructional materials containing age-appropriate biblical content that demonstrates how biblical figures influenced the United States. Additionally, the materials must emphasize virtues, significant historical events, and key figures throughout Oklahoma history, according to bid documents published Friday. The request for proposals doesn't specify how many copies the state wants to buy, only that the vendor must be willing to ship directly to districts. Like the Bibles the department sought in the fall, this request could be challenged under the state constitution, which prohibits public money from being spent for religious purposes. 'This RFP seems to be another constitutional violation,' said Alex Luchenitser, an attorney for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and one of the attorneys representing Oklahomans in the Bible lawsuit. 'It seeks to inject the Bible into public school curricula, and only refers to the Bible and doesn't refer to any other religious texts, so it's clearly a move to push Christianity,' he said. The Education Department wants the character materials to align with Oklahoma's new social studies standards, which have been revised to contain more than 40 references to the Bible and Christianity, compared to two in the current version. But the proposed standards haven't been approved. Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters is expected to present the standards to the Board of Education at its next meeting, scheduled for Thursday. It will be the first time the board meets since Gov. Kevin Stitt replaced three members. If approved, the standards will move to the Legislature for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The standards review committee included several nationally prominent conservatives: Dennis Prager of PragerU, David Barton of the Christian Nationalist organization Wallbuilders, and the president of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts. While standards guide what schools are to teach, school districts have sole authority to choose curriculum and books. In November, the state abruptly canceled a search to buy 55,000 King James Bibles, an effort that attracted criticism for appearing to exclude all Bibles except an expensive version endorsed by President Donald Trump. Walters vowed to reissue that request, but a coalition of parents, students, teachers and faith leaders asked the Oklahoma State Supreme Court to block the purchase and Walters' mandate to teach the Bible. The Office of Management and Enterprise Services, the state's central purchasing agency, also wants to wait. It asked the court for an order allowing it to delay the new Bible request for proposals until the case is resolved. Two OMES employees are named in the lawsuit.
