Oklahoma court stops social studies standards with 2020 election misinformation from taking effect

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily put on hold proposed new social studies standards for K-12 public school students that include conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

The state’s high court issued a temporary stay on Monday while a lawsuit challenging the new standards is being litigated. The court’s order directs the State Department of Education to keep the previous social studies standards in place while the case is being decided.

At the direction of state Superintendent Ryan Walters, the standards were revised to include new language about the 2020 election and that the source of the COVID-19 virus was a Chinese lab, among other changes.

A group of parents and educators filed lawsuit in May, asking a judge to reject the standards, arguing they were not reviewed properly and that they “represent a distorted view of social studies that intentionally favors an outdated and blatantly biased perspective.”

Leaders in the Republican-led Oklahoma Legislature introduced a resolution earlier this year to reject the standards, but there wasn’t enough GOP support to pass it.

In a statement Tuesday, Walters said the Supreme Court was “embarrassing” and out of step with most Oklahomans.