OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Governor Kevin Stitt expressed concern Wednesday over recent revisions to Oklahoma’s Social Studies Standards, changes that were not discussed or acknowledged during the public board meeting where they were approved.
“There was a different standard that was sitting on the desk that they actually voted on. Well, that seems that’s very, very odd,” Stitt said during a press conference, referencing discrepancies between what was reviewed during the public comment period and the version ultimately approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Education.
As first reported by NonDoc, the final version of the standards—which guide curriculum for K-12 public schools across the state—was altered following a public comment period held in December and January. However, those revisions were not addressed at the February 27 board meeting, where the board gave its approval.
Among the controversial additions in the revised standards are directives that encourage teaching students about debunked theories of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The new guidelines also incorporate Old Testament Bible stories and emphasize their perceived influence on early American colonists.
Critics have raised alarms about the lack of transparency in the process and the potential political implications of the changes.
Ryan Deatherage, a newly appointed member of the State Board of Education, attended the governor’s press conference and echoed calls for legislative intervention. He has joined a growing chorus urging state lawmakers to send the standards back to the board for further review.
Democratic legislators have spent the last several weeks pressing their Republican colleagues to act before the new standards automatically take effect. Under Oklahoma law, if lawmakers do not formally reject the revised standards by Monday, they will be enacted without further debate.
“This is about maintaining integrity in how we educate our children,” said one Democratic lawmaker, who asked not to be named. “We owe it to Oklahoma students to ensure their education is based on factual, well-vetted historical content—not political ideology.”
As the Monday deadline approaches, all eyes are on the state legislature to see whether it will intervene or allow the standards to move forward unchallenged.
