OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — The Oklahoma Supreme Court has permanently invalidated new social studies standards after ruling that the state’s top education board violated open meeting laws during their approval, a decision that blocks controversial classroom requirements tied to religion, elections, and COVID-19.
In a 5–4 ruling issued Tuesday, the Court found that the Oklahoma State Board of Education failed to provide adequate public notice before voting on standards that were materially different from an earlier draft. Justice James E. Edmondson wrote that the Feb. 27 agenda did not alert board members or the public that major new content had been added, violating the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.
The now-nullified standards would have required public schools to include Bible stories and disputed claims questioning the integrity of the 2020 presidential election and suggesting COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory. Several board members later acknowledged they were unaware those additions had been included when they voted, after receiving materials just 17 hours in advance.
The Court rejected arguments that legislative inaction cured the procedural flaws, ruling that violations of transparency laws cannot be retroactively fixed. As a result, Oklahoma’s 2019 social studies standards will remain in effect while new ones are developed.
The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by 33 Oklahoma residents, including parents, teachers, and faith leaders, represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. While the Court declined to rule on constitutional religious freedom claims, plaintiffs hailed the decision as a win for transparency and church-state separation.
Chief Justice Dustin Rowe and Justice M. John Kane dissented, arguing the issue required trial-level fact finding rather than a direct Supreme Court ruling.
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