Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters speaks during a special state Board of Education meeting, April 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Starting this August, Oklahoma high schools will be required to teach students about debunked conspiracy theories pedaled by President Donald Trump that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

According to the new curriculum, which was written by Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Schools Ryan Walters (R), students will analyze contemporary turning points of 21st century American society. One of the turning points listed is the “discrepancies in 2020 elections results.”

 

Trump’s baseless claims about the 2020 election results, including widespread voter fraud, have been repeatedly debunked.

In a statement to the Washington Post in March, Walters claimed that the purpose of the standard is to avoid students being “spoon-fed left wing propaganda.” 

Walters is a staunch ally of Trump, and he has garnered praise from the president on multiple occasions. Last November, Walters drew criticism when he ordered Oklahoma schools to play a video of him blaming the “radical left” and “woke teacher’s unions” for attacking religious liberty. In the video, Walters also prays for Trump and his team. 

Walters also issued a mandate last June that all public schools in Oklahoma had to teach the Bible, calling the Christian holy book a “necessary document to teach kids.” Last August, a group of 22 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to House Speaker Charles McCall (R) urging him to launch an investigation into Walters regarding budget concerns and neglect of duty. Walters reportedly had to pay over $18,000 in penalties and attorney fees, but he remained in his position.

Oklahoma Democrats also called for Walters’ impeachment after he ignored a series of bomb threats on a public school for several days, which was linked to him sharing an edited video of a school librarian. In the video, which was created by far-right social media account Libs of TikTok, the librarian is accused of pushing a “woke agenda.” Walters later appointed Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik as an adviser to a state library committee. 

Walters also received bipartisan ridicule during an oversight hearing last June where he admitted his department had been locked out of its own website for years.

Walters was elected as Oklahoma’s superintendent on Nov. 8, 2022, and his term expires on Jan. 11, 2027.