Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down social studies standards that impose Christianity on public school students

OKLAHOMA CITY – In a victory for religious freedom, church-state separation, public education, and government transparency, the Oklahoma Supreme Court today ruled that former Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSBE) unlawfully approved new K-12 social studies standards that promote Christianity to public school students. The decision came in the lawsuit Rev. Dr. Mitch Randall v. Lindel Fields, which was filed in July by 33 Oklahoma parents, children, public school teachers and faith leaders.

Oklahoma Supreme Court: Adoption of social studies standards violated Oklahoma Open Meeting Act

The court ruled that the social studies standards were adopted in a manner that violated the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act. Walters made last-minute changes to the standards without notifying the public or providing sufficient notice to the other members of the OSBE. The court declared the social studies standards invalid, and reinstated the prior version of the standards, which were enacted in 2019 and did not promote religion. 

The plaintiffs are represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. The organizations issued the following statements:

“Today’s decision will ensure that Oklahoma families – not politicians – get to decide how and when their children engage with religion,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United. “These new social studies standards violated students’ and families’ religious freedom by promoting one version of Christianity and advancing Christian Nationalist disinformation. Not on our watch. Public schools are not Sunday schools.”

Brent Rowland, legal director of Oklahoma Appleseed: “This is a victory for transparency, fairness, and the constitutional rights of all Oklahomans. The authority to govern comes with accountability for making decisions in the full view of the people the government serves. Public school classrooms may not be used to endorse religious doctrine — no matter what the religion is or how many people follow it. Overturning these standards means Oklahoma students can learn history and civics in a way that respects every family’s beliefs while inspiring them to think critically, ask questions, and engage as informed members of our democracy. This decision moves us toward the open, rigorous, and inclusive public education our students deserve.”

Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision invalidates the new standards

The Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision invalidates the new standards, which are replete with several dozen references to the Bible and Christianity while containing few mentions of other faiths; inaccurately present Bible stories as literal, historical facts; inaccurately proclaim the Bible’s and Christianity’s influence on the founding of America and the country’s laws; and require other inaccurate teachings, including presenting disproven contentions about the legitimacy of the 2020 election and conveying as unquestioned truth the controversial theory that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in a Chinese laboratory. 

The lawsuit explained that the approval of the standards violated the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and other procedural requirements because Oklahoma officials gave no notice to the public – or even to members of the State Board of Education themselves – that the version of the standards submitted to the Board for a vote was substantially different from the version that had been publicly released.

The lawsuit also argued that the standards ran afoul of a statutory requirement that Oklahoma’s academic standards be accurate and age appropriate. The lawsuit further contended that the new standards violated the Oklahoma Constitution’s religious-freedom protections by promoting and favoring one religion over others and over nonreligion in public schools, including to especially impressionable first and second graders.

Attorneys representing the plaintiffs include Alex Luchenitser and Luke Anderson at Americans United and Colleen McCarty and Brent Rowland at Oklahoma Appleseed.