OKLAHOMA CITY — In response to the Oklahoma State Board of Education voting in favor of enhancing the downgrade recommendation of accreditation for Tulsa Public Schools to ‘accredited with warning’ due to an accusation of violating Oklahoma’s classroom censorship law, HB1775, the ACLU of Oklahoma issued the following response:
The following is attributable to Tamya Cox-Touré, ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Director:
“Everyone deserves to learn an inclusive and complete history in school, free from censorship or discrimination, but, with the passing of HB1775, Oklahoma politicians endorsed classroom censorship. What we are seeing now are the real-life consequences of the approved promulgating rules by the Oklahoma Department of Education and the clear issues with the broad and vague language of the law itself. Make no mistake: Tulsa Public Schools is just the beginning. The longer HB1775 is allowed to be in effect, the more accusations we will see across all state public schools. The impact of this law is not only being felt by entire school districts, but also by the teachers who have dedicated their lives to the future of Oklahoma and by the students who are denied their right to receive an equitable education. The First Amendment protects the right to expression, including the right to receive information. We must protect this right to maintain the integrity of Oklahoma’s education system.”
