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A proposal by the Senate education chairman to reject the academic standards for social studies and science did not survive this week.
The standards automatically take effect. Some newly appointed Board of Education members asked the Legislature to send the standards back for further review. They said they felt rushed into approval. One board member said he reviewed a version posted online for the public, not the final version, which was submitted to the board at 4:01 p.m. the day before they were to meet at 9:30 a.m.
The final version includes claims that the 2020 presidential election involved “discrepancies” and that Covid-19 originated in a Chinese lab, which are unproven.
The standards also incorporate more than 40 references to biblical stories and teachings of Jesus, which is likely to limit schools’ curriculum options.
Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, filed a resolution last week to reject the standards, but it wasn’t heard. A spokesman for Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, told Oklahoma Voice there wasn’t enough GOP support to pass it. An earlier resolution by House and Senate Democrats also failed to advance.
Also this week, the Legislature gave final approval to Senate Bill 758, which limits traditional schools’ use of virtual days. Under the bill, a maximum of 2 days or 12 hours of virtual instruction will count toward the state minimum of 180 days or 1,080 hours of instruction. If the governor signs the bill into law, it will take effect in the 2026-27 school year.
The Legislature also sent to the governor Senate Bill 139, which requires all school districts to ban student cellphones and personal electronics during the school day.
If signed, it takes effect this fall for the 2025-26 school year. Districts can’t opt out the first year, but they can in subsequent years.
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— Jennifer Palmer
Recommended Reading
- The U.S. Supreme Court seemed split along predictable ideological lines while considering the first religious public school. The court heard arguments in the case Wednesday. [Oklahoma Watch]
- The Supreme Court’s decision on St. Isidore, expected this summer, could spark new religious schools, or new charter limits, profoundly impacting American education. [The Washington Post]
- International students are rethinking coming to the U.S., and that could pose a problem to colleges’ bottom lines. [The Hechinger Report]
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