Oklahoma senator moves to reject controversial social studies standards

• 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.

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.

More: Oklahoma State Board of Education delays vote to clarify official record with Ryan Walters

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.

“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.”

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.

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