Oklahoma. – The Oklahoma Supreme Court has blocked the new K-12 social research standard, which will be implemented by the head of public education Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma Stouge Board of Education.
The court's ruling today prevented the plaintiff from believing it would be unconstitutional to promote Christianity in public schools.
The ruling is in response to a July lawsuit filed by 33 Oklahoma parents, children, public school teachers and faith leaders.
The court's ruling prohibits the state from enforcing the new standards and using state funds for it, requiring standards holdings before 2019 to take effect.
“Today’s ruling will help ensure that Oklahoma families, not politicians, can decide how and when their children interact with religion,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of the American Federation of Separate Church and State.
“It's a victory for transparency, fairness and the constitutional rights of all Oklahomans,” added Brent Rowland, legal director of Appleseed, Oklahoma.
The court's ruling highlights that the new standard contains many references to Christianity and Bible, presents the biblical story as historical facts, and includes inaccurate doctrines about the founding of the United States and the 2020 election.
The lawsuit also claims that the standard violates the Oklahoma Open Conference Act and other procedural requirements.