Oklahoma City, OK — A heated exchange took place during Thursday’s Oklahoma Board of Education meeting as Superintendent Ryan Walters and several board members sparred over changes made to the state’s proposed social studies standards.
The controversy centers on changes that were introduced to the standards just hours before the February board meeting. These revisions, according to board members, included content promoting debunked theories surrounding voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election and a focus on Old Testament Bible stories and their influence on American colonists. The last-minute modifications came as a surprise to several board members, who were not made aware of the alterations in advance.
Board Member Ryan Deatherage, who was present at the meeting, expressed his frustration over what he described as a “bait-and-switch” move, suggesting that the changes were made without proper communication or transparency. “There may have been some comments that weren’t 100% accurate, but I wouldn’t say that’s new to the Department of Education,” Deatherage said, alluding to previous issues within the department.
Superintendent Walters, however, strongly rejected the accusation that the process had been mishandled. “That’s simply not true. And so that is a lie,” Walters asserted during the meeting. He went on to clarify that the changes were made based on public input, despite records obtained by News 4 showing that no public comments specifically addressed the controversial revisions.
Further complicating matters, board members pointed to discrepancies in the meeting minutes from the February session. According to the official record, Board Member Deatherage was inaccurately listed as the one who motioned to approve the revised social studies standards. Deatherage, however, clarified that he had actually moved to postpone the vote in order to give members more time to review the changes. That motion, according to Deatherage, was voted down in February but was not mentioned in the minutes.
Deatherage formally requested that the minutes be corrected to reflect the accurate account of events, as well as the failed vote. However, the situation became even more contentious when it was revealed that the video recording of the February meeting had been deleted almost a month ago, further fueling concerns about transparency.
As the debate unfolded, questions about the integrity of the decision-making process and the lack of clear communication between the Department of Education and the board members remained at the forefront. While Walters maintained that the changes were a result of public feedback and his authority to make final decisions, board members and observers alike were left questioning the handling of the proposed revisions to the state’s social studies curriculum.
The tensions surrounding the changes to Oklahoma’s social studies standards continue to stir public debate, with many concerned about the direction of the state’s educational priorities and the transparency of the process behind such significant revisions.
