Oklahoma Requires Schools to Teach 2020 Election Conspiracy Theories

Oklahoma's public school curriculum has been revised under State Superintendent Ryan Walters to include disproven conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, teaching students to scrutinize alleged election irregularities such as mail-in ballot fraud and sudden changes in vote counts. These changes, set to take effect in the 2025-2026 school year, also mandate Bibles in every classroom and have removed lessons on topics like George Floyd's murder and Black Lives Matter, reflecting a broader conservative agenda influenced by figures like Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts and Dennis Prager. Walters defends the curriculum as promoting critical thinking and 'pro-America education,' encouraging students to analyze election data and come to their own conclusions despite extensive debunking by federal officials, courts, and cybersecurity experts. The move has sparked significant opposition from parents, educators, civil rights advocates, and some Republicans within Oklahoma, who criticize the inclusion of historically inaccurate content and the lack of adequate public review. Oklahoma's changes mirror a wider trend in several red states reshaping curricula to emphasize conservative perspectives and reinterpret recent political and social history. The curriculum revisions have also faced legal challenges over the approval process, which critics say was rushed and lacked transparency.