OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education face another obstacle to passing new social studies standards.
Former Attorney General Mike Hunter filed a lawsuit May 7 against Walters and the board, claiming the process in which the standards were approved wasn't legal.
WATCH: Lawsuit filed against Walters, OSBE over social studies standards
"The fact that these standards are going into effect without properly being reviewed and adopted are of great concern for my clients," Hunter said. "They want their children, their grandchildren and their pupils to be educated in a way that's consistent with the law. And in our view, and we'll be in court for this, the law wasn't followed."
Hunter and his clients' main concern isn't the content within the standards, something that's been widely debated in recent months. Instead, Hunter says the process is the problem.
"Simply put, the state board broke its own rules, and ignored due process," Hunter said.
One key argument in the lawsuit stems from the changes in the publicly released standards to the one changed by Walters that ultimately got approved.
"There is clearly a difference between the standards that were online and the standards that were brought before the board," Hunter said. "The standard that they were voting on weren't the standards that were being represented to the public."
I reached out to Walter's office for a statement on the lawsuit. In response, he said:
"The loudest voices attacking Oklahoma’s new social studies standards come straight from the teacher's union playbook. Why? Because these standards do something they can’t stand: teach students to be proud of America.
These are the most pro-American standards in the nation, rooted in the founding principles that built this country and shaped our state. That’s exactly what Oklahoma parents want their kids to learn.
Time and again, these radical teachers’ unions are standing against the future of Oklahoma’s education system and the values we hold dear. We’re proud of these standards, and we’ll keep fighting for an education system that puts students and our country first."
Hunter says politics have nothing to do with this lawsuit.
"There have been a number of lawmakers who've made public statements indicating concerns about the procedures, how the rules were adopted. Republicans and Democrats. So, it's really not a partisan issue."
Hunter added they're filing a temporary restraining order, hoping to keep those standards from going into effect while the lawsuit is pending.
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