() Oklahoma is set to incorporate 2020 election conspiracies into its schools’ curricula under newly adopted social studies standards that will take effect next school year.
Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, who has led the push to revise curriculum standards, tells “Morning in America” that the goal is to promote critical thinking.
“We’re going to ensure that kids are looking at graphs, charts and data points. There was a record amount of mail-in ballots,” he said. “There was a record amount of discrepancies in Bellwether counties. Kids are going to study those, and they’re going to come to their own conclusion.”
Investigations, court rulings have found no evidence of fraud in election
Despite these claims, several investigations and court rulings found no evidence of fraud in the 2020 election and that former President Joe Biden was the legitimate winner.
Asked why such content should be included in the curriculum, Walters said, “Millions more folks voted in 2020 and then disappeared in 2024. Okay, so why did that happen? Let kids analyze it.”
He added: “They can come to their own conclusion. But what we’re not going to do is act like 2020 nothing happened.”
Lawsuit is challenging the process to approve new standards
Beyond the content itself, there’s also a lawsuit now challenging the process to approve the new standards. Some parents and advocates claim the curriculum was pushed through without adequate public input and time for review.
Walters dismissed the criticism, attributing it to resistance from the teachers’ union. He said they spend 10 months developing what he believes are the “best history standards” in the United States.
“We’re very proud of these standards,” he said. “I think they’re the best history standards in the country, and every state should have them.”
