In a decisive victory for the separation of church and state, on December 16, 2025 the Oklahoma Supreme Court has permanently overturned controversial social studies standards that would have forced religious content into public school curricula. The Court’s ruling represents a significant win for Atheists, secular families and all those who believe in evidence-based education free from religious indoctrination.
Five of the Court’s nine justices ruled that the Oklahoma State Board of Education violated state open meeting laws when approving the standards, rendering them permanently unenforceable. The standards had attempted to mandate the teaching of Bible stories in public schools and promote unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 presidential election and COVID-19 origins.
The Court’s decision revealed the deceptive methods used to push these religious standards through the system. Board members and the public received inadequate notice that the February 27 vote would involve standards fundamentally different from earlier drafts, violating the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.
Half of the state board members who voted on the standards later admitted they were unaware that new content had been added to the final version. This shocking revelation demonstrates how religious extremists attempted to circumvent democratic processes to impose their beliefs on Oklahoma’s children.
The board members received meeting materials only 17 hours in advance, another clear violation of state law. Neither former State Superintendent Ryan Walters, who as previously reported, led the standards’ development, nor any education department staff acknowledged during the meeting that they had secretly added new content. This deliberate obfuscation represents exactly the kind of underhanded tactics that Atheists and secular advocates have long warned against.
Among the covert additions were language designed to cast doubt on the integrity of the 2020 presidential election and disputed claims about COVID-19’s origins. These insertions reveal the true agenda: using public education as a vehicle for promoting conspiracy theories and religious ideology rather than factual, evidence-based learning.
The fact that Walters’ administration didn’t publicly post the updated standards until weeks after the vote further demonstrates the secretive nature of this religious power grab. Such behavior is antithetical to the transparency and accountability that should govern public education in a democratic society.
The lawsuit that led to this victory was filed on behalf of 33 Oklahoma plaintiffs, including parents, teachers, and faith leaders who recognized the danger these standards posed to religious freedom and educational integrity. Attorneys from Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice represented these defenders of constitutional rights.
The Court’s decision means that social studies standards approved in 2019 will remain in effect while the state Education Department develops new standards. New state Superintendent Lindel Fields has already announced his intention to rewrite the social studies standards, offering hope for a more rational approach to education.
Fields was appointed after Ryan Walters resigned early to lead a conservative nonprofit, suggesting that the era of using public education to advance religious agendas may be coming to an end in Oklahoma.
The Supreme Court’s ruling sends a clear message: attempts to inject religious content into public education through deceptive means will not be tolerated. This victory demonstrates that when Atheists, secular advocates, and rational citizens work together, they can successfully defend the constitutional principle of separation of church and state.
For Oklahoma’s students, this ruling ensures they will receive an education based on facts, evidence, and critical thinking rather than religious indoctrination. It’s a reminder that vigilance is required to protect secular education from those who would use public schools to advance their religious agenda.
