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Oklahoma senator moves to reject controversial social studies standards

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Oklahoma senator moves to reject controversial social studies standards


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  • Sen. Adam Pugh filed a resolution to disapprove the standards adopted by the Oklahoma State Board of Education, citing transparency concerns.
  • Democrats previously filed resolutions to reject the standards, deeming them too advanced and politically biased.
  • The Legislature has until May 1 to act on the standards, otherwise, they will automatically take effect.

A prominent Republican in the state Senate is making moves to return controversial social studies standards back to the Oklahoma State Board of Education before they take effect.

Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, filed Senate Joint Resolution 20, which would declare the Legislature “hereby disapproves in whole the social studies and science subject matter standards approved by the State Board of Education on February 27, 2025.” Pugh chairs the Senate Education Committee.

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Pugh’s resolution comes after weeks of speculation about whether GOP lawmakers would take action on the standards. The standards have been at the center of controversy since they were introduced in December with dozens of mentions of the Bible. State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters later circulated a new version of the standards, featuring one section that includes requires students to learn about 2020 election denialism.

Pugh filed the resolution April 24, hours after a debate during an Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting. Walters and three new board members accused each other of lying over the content of the previously approved social studies standards.

Oklahoma State Board of Education members say online version of standards different than what they received

Board members have said the version of the standards on which they voted during a February meeting didn’t match what was publicly available on the education department’s website. In response, Walters accused the board members and Gov. Kevin Stitt of spreading misinformation about the process.

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“I can’t make you read,” Walters said during the meeting. “I can’t make you do the research before you vote. But here’s what I’m going to say, and my expectation is to not have board members lie about a process and create a fake controversy.”

A spokesperson for Walters and the education department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pugh’s resolution notes “questions exist regarding the transparency of the subject matter standard adoption process.”

However, members of the Senate and House Democratic caucuses had also filed joint resolutions to reject the standards, calling the proposed subject matter “too advanced” for the agents of students and “politically charged and biased.”

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Pugh’s resolution is more likely to gain traction since Republicans control both chambers. It represents the first step in the process of potentially returning the standards to the board. Two board members told The Oklahoman that this is their wish.

It is unclear if House leaders will sign on to the resolution. Hours before Pugh filed the resolution, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, seemed doubtful that his chamber would take action but said, “If we were to do anything, it would be in concert with the state Senate.”

On April 23, Stitt called on the Legislature to act on the standards and championed proposed legislation that would allow board members to add items to the meeting agenda.

That legislation, House Bill 1491, didn’t clear the Thursday deadline for House bills to be heard in a Senate committee. It was sponsored by Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, and Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, and would have allowed an item to be placed on the agenda if requested in writing by at least two members of the board.

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The Legislature has until May 1 to take action on the proposed standards. If they do nothing, the standards will automatically go into effect.

“The standards themselves, the Legislature, hopefully they’ll act on that,” Stitt said April 23. “I don’t know. They may punt it to me, so we’ll see.”

Contributing: Scott Carter and Murray Evans



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‘I cannot stay silent’ Oklahoma City moves to dismiss former attorneys claims seized cash

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‘I cannot stay silent’ Oklahoma City moves to dismiss former attorneys claims seized cash


A legal fight is escalating between former Oklahoma City municipal attorney Orval Jones and the city over how the Oklahoma City Police Department handled cash seized during arrests.

The city has filed a motion asking a judge to strike Jones’ claims, arguing he has no legal standing and calling the criminal-case process a “restitution scheme.”

Jones says he spent eight years “cleaning up” the OKCPD property return process from 2017 to March 2025 until he resigned “due to duress” in September.

He filed an affidavit claiming OKCPD seized more than $400,000 in cash from arrests and deposited it into the city’s bank account.

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In his audit, Jones made lists of seized cash amounts, including amounts under $250, from $250 up to $500, and more than $500.

In its motion, the city argues Jones is no longer an attorney for the city or the district attorney’s office, is not an owner of any of the property “properly disposed of,” and has not suffered an injury.

The city also alleges Jones filed his motion with “half-truths” and without support or proof.

Jones responded in a rebuttal affidavit that the issue involves injury to the state, the county, other counties, crime victims, and property owners who received no notice. Jones said, “I had a professional duty to tell the court that these filings were legally defective and potentially fraudulent. I cannot stay silent.”

In an email in April 2025, OKCPD Chief Ron Bacy said the department had 288,000 overdue property and currency claims needing a disposition update, and that many investigators assigned to those cases are no longer employed with the department. Bacy said the department developed programs to assist the Property Management Unit.

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Court documents show more than 350,000 pieces of property held in the Property Management Unit, more than $2.5 million in the unit’s bank account, and that 80% of the property and money are due for disposition.

If a judge agrees with Jones, the funds may be returned to the owners.

If the judge agrees with the city, the case will be dropped.

The city and OKCPD had not responded to open records requests submitted Feb. 10.

When asked whether the city conducted or requested an internal review into the allegations, the city said it does not comment on pending litigation.

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A hearing has been set later this month.



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Oklahoma AG Drummond backs Trump EPA bid to rescind 2009 greenhouse gas finding

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Oklahoma AG Drummond backs Trump EPA bid to rescind 2009 greenhouse gas finding


Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is seeking to join a federal court fight over the Environmental Protection Agency’s move to roll back a key climate change finding that has underpinned vehicle emissions regulations for more than a decade.

Drummond filed a motion to intervene with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on March 9, 2026, backing the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate what his office called “radical regulations of carbon emissions.”

The dispute centers on the EPA’s decision to rescind the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding.

In a Final Rule issued earlier this year, the EPA concluded it lacked statutory authority to establish the Endangerment Finding, which had been used to justify vehicle emission restrictions under the Clean Air Act.

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Drummond joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general seeking to support the EPA after “a gaggle of special-interest groups” petitioned the D.C. Circuit to review the Final Rule.

“Thankfully, the Trump Administration is correcting the outrageous overreach that was the hallmark of the Obama-Biden Administration,” Drummond said. “Oklahoma’s energy industry, and that of our nation, should not be hobbled by unnecessary regulations born from a radical climate agenda. A panoply of would-be vehicle emission standards would be disastrous for a robust oil and gas industry, adversely impact our economy, hurt the reliability of our electrical grids and undermine national security.”

Drummond’s office said that since taking office he has filed more than 25 legal actions opposing environmental regulations, including tailpipe emission standards and efforts aimed at eliminating gas-powered vehicles.

In addition to Oklahoma, the states joining the motion to intervene are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.



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Oklahoma adds explosive 4-star commit on offense

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Oklahoma adds explosive 4-star commit on offense


Oklahoma adds explosive 4-star commit on offense appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 college football season is still months away from kicking off, but coaches are already hitting the College football Recruiting trail for players in the class of 2027. Oklahoma has already landed some talented players.

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Now, they have added another solid player, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3.

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Athlete Greydon Howell, rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals, has committed to Oklahoma. Howell is from Broken Bow, Oklahoma, and chose to go to the Sooners over Oklahoma State, Miami, Penn State, Stanford, and Arkansas. He visited Oklahoma over the weekend, attending a recruiting event.

The 4-star recruit has been a dominant force at his high school in the sports landscape. He plays football, basketball, baseball, and track. This past season, he played quarterback for his team, passing for 2,817 yards with 27 scores, while adding 1,514 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. He is expected to play wide receiver for the Sooners.

Rivals ranks him as the 13th best athlete in the nation, and 425th overall. Still, other ranking services have him lower. 247Sports has Howell ranked as a three-star player and the 25th best athlete in the nation.

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Regardless, it is another major signing for Brent Venables and the Sooners. They have 19 commitments so far, and have the number one-ranked class for 2027 according to 247Sports. They have been great at keeping in-state guys at Oklahoma. Kaeden Penny is the top player in the state for the class of 2027, and he is going to Oklahoma. Cooper Hackett is ranked third in the state and is also a future Sooner.

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The Sooners open their 2026 campaign on September 5 against Utep.

Oklahoma Sooners land 4-star safety over Florida, Georgia

Oklahoma lands top tight end over Kentucky, Notre Dame



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