Beginning next school year , all (public and private) high school students in Oklahoma will be required to study “discrepancies” in the 2020 U.S. presidential election—claims that have been widely discredited by courts, audits and independent experts. The new state academic standards, passed quietly and with limited transparency, instruct students to examine election fraud theories once pushed by President Donald Trump and his allies.

The standards, finalized by the Oklahoma State Board of Education in February 2025, direct students to analyze topics such as the “sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities,” the “security risks of mail-in balloting,” and “sudden batch dumps” of ballots (NPR, 2025). The language presents these theories as valid areas of inquiry, despite a lack of evidence to support them. 

Critics argue that the standards serve more as political messaging than educational guidance. “This is not teaching critical thought,” said Tammy Patrick, chief program officer at the Election Center (National Association of Election Administrators). “It’s presenting disproven narratives as fact without instructing students to question or verify them.” (NPR, 2025).

According to curriculum documents, students are expected to identify “discrepancies in 2020 elections results by looking at graphs and other information,” including “unforeseen record numbers of voters” and the breakdown of so-called “bellwether county” trends (Snopes, 2025). These points have been repeatedly debunked by fact-checkers and researchers, including those at Snopes and the National Academy of Sciences.

Others, including Aaron Baker, a government teacher at Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City, say they plan to counter the curriculum with fact-checks in the classroom. “I’ve been telling my students for four years that the courts have declared over and over again that there was no widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election,” Baker told NPR.

The standards were added by State Superintendent Ryan Walters, a conservative former history teacher and outspoken supporter of Trump, who has described the changes as a “major victory” for conservative education (Yahoo News, 2025). Walters also led efforts to insert Bible study requirements and teach the unproven theory that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese lab (Truthout, 2025).

Several board members have admitted they were unaware of the election-related language when they voted on the final version. The revisions were inserted after the public comment period closed in December 2024, raising questions about process and transparency (New York Times, 2025).

The changes went into effect by default after Oklahoma’s Republican-led Legislature declined to block them. A proposed resolution to reject the standards failed to pass by the May 1 deadline, allowing the rules to stand under state law (Yahoo News, 2025).

Although some Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Kevin Stitt, expressed frustration with the rollout process, few have directly criticized the content. “He thinks a lot of what has happened… has been more of a distraction,” said Stitt’s spokesperson (New York Times, 2025).

Educators and civic groups worry that requiring students to treat misinformation as legitimate could further erode trust in democratic institutions. “False claims about the election have already caused lasting damage to public confidence,” said Patrick, the Election Center official. “Embedding them in the state curriculum will only make that worse” (NPR, 2025).

The new standards are set to be implemented for the 2025–2026 school year unless delayed by a pending lawsuit from a former Republican attorney general, which challenges the approval process—not the content itself.

References

• Beth Wallis. “Oklahoma education standards say students must identify 2020 election ‘discrepancies.’” NPR, May 14, 2025.
  
• Grace Deng. “Fact Check: Yes, Oklahoma’s new academic standards say to teach students 2020 election fraud myths as fact.” Yahoo News via Snopes, May 11, 2025.
  
• Chris Walker. “New Oklahoma School Curriculum Requires Students to Learn ‘The Big Lie.’” Truthout, March 18, 2025.
  
• David Emery & Izz LaMagdeleine. “Oklahoma will teach high school students debunked 2020 election-fraud theories as fact.” Snopes, May 8, 2025.
  

• Sarah Mervosh. “Oklahoma Proposes Teaching 2020 Election ‘Discrepancies’ in U.S. History.” The New York Times, March 14, 2025.