Oklahoma Sued By ACLU Over Concerns Of Censorship On Critical Race Theory Topics

A house bill that passed this spring is now coming under fire by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over concerns it censors some topics in public schools. 

When House Bill 1775 went into emergency effect this summer, it was unclear what impact the legislation would have on Oklahoma classrooms. 

The bill was passed along party lines by Republican lawmakers who sought to limit conversations about race or gender at public schools. 

Now — the ACLU cites specific examples in its lawsuit against the state— saying the broad language in the law chills free speech and violates the state’s education standards. 

“The harm is coming from how broadly the bill is written, how confusing the language is, and how steep some of the consequences are for violating that very broad language,” said Megan Lambert, ACLU of Oklahoma Legal Director. 

Lambert said educators are removing content on race and gender out of an abundance of caution, because community members can have their credentials pulled for violating the law, through a complaint process that’s open to the public. 

Edmond Public Schools is named in the suit for cancelling diversity trainings and changing its booklist to follow guidance from the bill. 

The district removed books by women and Black authors, like To Kill A Mockingbird, A Raisin In The Sun, Their Eyes Are Watching God, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, and Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas. 

Anthony Crawford, an English teacher at Millwood Public Schools, is one of the plaintiffs. He said the law is unclear to teachers and contradicts the Oklahoma Education Standards. 

“Everything they are telling us we cannot teach is in the Oklahoma Standards,” he said. 

Crawford said he is concerned about the harsh penalties to teachers. 

“I was scared. I’m not going to lie to you. I was petrified, I got a daughter on the way, so I was really scared,” he said. 

But, without being able to teach about themes like systemic racism or diversity, he said students will be unprepared as adults. 

“Without that piece of information, without that history, then they will go into the real world blindsided,” Crawford said. 

At the Capitol, some are standing by the law. 

Secretary of Education Ryan Walters said in a statement the bill ensures students are taught an honest depiction of the past and knows teachers can teach that without “prejudging those who are responsible for our future.”

There were several other states that passed similar bills during spring of 2021 seeking to ban a concept called ‘critical race theory,’ even though the concept isn't taught in K-12 schools or well-defined in K-12 settings.

The ACLU said Oklahoma's restrictions are the most severe.

Read the complaint in full below.