The Oklahoma State Department of Education has quietly rolled out a new draft of the state’s social studies standards, stripping out several lightning-rod provisions that fueled a yearlong brawl over religion and politics in public school classrooms. The January draft removes requirements that earlier versions added, including explicit Bible references and language tied to disputed claims about the 2020 election and the origins of COVID‑19. The rewrite follows a December Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that voided the 2025 standards for violating the state Open Meeting Act, as reported by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
What's different in the new draft
The 153‑page draft, now posted for public comment, replaces earlier language that instructed students to “identify discrepancies” in the 2020 presidential results with more neutral prompts asking them to analyze and evaluate civic events. It also removes explicit clauses that would have required instruction on particular Bible stories or the life of Jesus. A prior standard that asked students to “identify the source of the COVID‑19 pandemic from a Chinese lab” is gone as well, replaced with a requirement that students evaluate governmental and private responses to the pandemic. The department is accepting feedback through Feb. 18 and has made the draft available for review, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Court ordered rewrite
The overhaul comes after the Oklahoma Supreme Court concluded that the 2025 standards were adopted without proper public notice and were therefore unenforceable, a ruling that reinstated the 2019 rules while a new process plays out. In its opinion, the court pointed to last‑minute additions, including language casting doubt on the 2020 election and a disputed lab‑origin claim for COVID‑19, as central to its finding that the board violated the Open Meeting Act. The opinion is posted by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
How to weigh in and the timeline
The department has posted the draft for public comment, and the State Board of Education is scheduled to meet Thursday, Feb. 26, when members could consider the revised standards. If the board advances a final version, state law requires that the standards be submitted to the Legislature for review. Lawmakers then have a 30‑legislative‑day window to adopt, amend, or reject the proposal, and if the Legislature does nothing the standards can be deemed approved. For procedural details, see the Oklahoma State Board of Education calendar and LegalFix.
Reactions
State Superintendent Lindel Fields said his administration will gather input from educators and the public and move “expeditiously but deliberately” to craft a replacement set of standards. Former Superintendent Ryan Walters blasted the court’s decision on social media, calling it “an incredibly aggressive attack on Christianity, the Bible, and President Donald Trump.” Several board members who voted for the 2025 standards later said they were unaware some of those last‑minute edits had been added before the February 2025 vote. For reaction and local coverage, see KOCO and reporting from KGOU.
