UPDATE: Important Information on HB 1775 to Ban CRT

Last year, the Oklahoma legislature passed, and the Governor signed into law, H.B. 1775, that prohibits foundational tenets of critical race theory from being taught in Oklahoma public schools. COS supported this legislation. The law directs the State Board of Education to adopt and implement rules to ensure that these discriminatory concepts are eliminated from our public school system.  

In September 2021, the State Board of Education passed emergency rules to implement the provisions of H.B. 1775; see rules here: https://sde.ok.gov/administrative-rules. They are found in the blue box on the page titled “Emergency Rules in Effect”. These rules are temporary. The State Board of Education must pass permanent rules to replace the emergency rules that were passed last year—and the State Department of Education has started the process to adopt final, permanent rules. As a part of this process, the public has an opportunity to weigh in on the final rules that will be adopted by the State Board of Education and will be then sent to the Oklahoma Legislature for their review and approval. 

On Monday, January 3, 2022, the Department of Education posted the emergency rules for public comment. “Public comment” is a 30-day window for the public to submit comments on the emergency rules.

If this is an issue of importance to you and if you want to be heard, it is very important for you to be involved in this process. The emergency rules passed by the State Board of Education last September are strong rules. If you want to ensure that Oklahoma has the strongest protections against critical race theory, improvement to those rules must be made. 

NOW is the time to file public comments on the Department’s proposed Permanent Rules. There are model public comments, which can be found here, which are intended to help you participate in the public comment process, and these comments were drafted to ensure that Oklahoma’s regulations are the most robust in the country.

Submitting public comments using this process provides a mechanism for you to request changes to the regulation that make the rules stronger, and allow the State Board of Education to have additional oversight over schools that incorporate the tenets of critical race theory into public school programs. These model comments include both: (1) changes you want the Department to make to the rule; and (2) aspects of the rule you do not want the Department to change. 

The rules are necessary to ensure that critical race theory and all programs and activities that teach it are eliminated from all aspects of our education system. There is evidence that Oklahoma school districts are pushing back on this law and essentially ignoring the Emergency Rules. The Permanent Rules need to be strengthened so school districts understand their obligations and so parents and grandparents know their rights when interacting with their child’s school. 

Submitting public comments on the proposed rule is the only way your voice will be heard. To submit comments, please follow these instructions:

1. Your public comment must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on February 2, 2022. Any comment submitted after that deadline will not be considered by the Department. 
2. You may submit your public comment one of four ways: 
1. Via e-mail to rules@sde.ok.gov. Please SIGN YOUR NAME at the end of the email.
2. Delivered in person at the State Department of Education (Brad Clark, General Counsel, Office of Legal Services, State Department of Education, 5th Floor, Hodge Building, 2500 N. Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, 73105-4599.)
3. Delivered by mail to the State Department of Education (Brad Clark, General Counsel, Office of Legal Services, State Department of Education, 5th Floor, Hodge Building, 2500 N. Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, 73105-4599.)
4. Appearing in person and orally delivering your comments at a public hearing, which will be held on February 2, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. (The hearing will be held at the Hodge Education Building, State Board Room, Room 1-20, 2500 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. You will be required to sign in, and time limits may be imposed. If you choose this option, bring an extra copy of your remarks to submit to Department staff.) 

When submitting comments via email, you may follow the steps here: 

1. Open up your email to compose a new email.
2. On the address line type  Rules@sde.ok.gov
3. On the subject line type Public Comment for Proposed Permanent Rules HB1775
4. Your email will show that it is from your private account.
5. In the body of the email, you may provide your own comments, or you may cut and paste all of the comments in the model comments mentioned above, entitled “Public Comments Proposed Permanent Rules HB1775,” which again can be found here.
6. It is your choice, and is completely optional, if you would like to begin your comments with a personal story about your child or grandchild or your concerns about this indoctrination in our schools. 

• You must make specific comments about specific rules that you wish to have changed in the Permanent Rules. The model comments provided show you how that can be done.

1. Make sure to include your name after making your individual statements, or you may type your name at the bottom of the Public Comment document.

If you don’t use email, please use the same format by writing your specific comments or by copying and pasting the entire model comments into your letter. You may then mail it, or hand deliver it, but remember to sign it.

Again, these must be submitted by 4:30 p.m., February 2nd.

Parents and citizens across Oklahoma must be heard on the issue about enforcing the law to eliminate discriminatory concepts from our schools. This email is to inform you about the proposed rules and the way you can get involved. Thank you, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give call or email State Director, John Guinn, at john.guinn@cosaction.com, or 405-415-5714.