Changes to Oklahoma social studies standards invite debate about 2020 election, ‘encourage critical thinking’

Oklahoma high schoolers will now dig deeper into the debate about the 2020 election as part of the state’s updated social studies curriculum.

The standards, recently unveiled by State Superintendent Ryan Walters, represent the latest effort to steer Oklahoma classrooms away from what officials describe as left-leaning policies.

Walters, an outspoken conservative Republican, has pursued a number of controversial education policies, including requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in schools and raising funds to place Bibles in every classroom.

“The left has been pushing left-wing indoctrination in the classroom,” Walters told the Associated Press. “We’re moving it back to actually understanding history … and I’m unapologetic about that.”

While previous standards called on students to “examine issues related to the election of 2020 and its outcome,” the new version adds specificity. Students are now required to identify discrepancies from graphs and data, assess security risks associated with mail-in ballots, and examine the unprecedented voter turnout and contradictions in traditional “bellwether county” trends.

Former President Donald Trump has continued to allege widespread fraud in the 2020 election, including since returning to office earlier this year. While the mainstream media has long dismissed those claims, a significant portion of Americans continue to question the election’s integrity, citing concerns now reflected in the curriculum.

The revised standards also eliminate a previously proposed lesson on the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, according to USA Today. Additionally, they present as fact that COVID-19 originated from a lab leak in China – a point that was heavily debated in the media but has gained traction following the recent government release of information.

“These reforms will reset our classrooms back to educating our children without liberal indoctrination,” Walters, a former history teacher, posted on X. “We’re proud to defend these standards, and we will continue to stand up for honest, pro-America education in every classroom.”

Dennis Prager, founder of PragerU, participated in the curriculum review committee. Oklahoma is one of several states, including Florida, partnering with PragerU to develop classroom materials.

Beginning this upcoming school year, teachers will be required to adjust their instruction to align with the new standards.

A group of parents and educators have filed a lawsuit challenging the changes, alleging that the standards were not properly reviewed and “represent a distorted view of social studies.”

Walters defended the revisions, telling the AP, “The standards do not instruct students on what to believe; rather, they encourage critical thinking by inviting students to examine real events, review publicly available information, and come to their own conclusions.”