Federal court puts parts of controversial classroom law on hold

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — On Monday, a federal court granted a partial preliminary injunction that puts parts of a controversial state law restricting the teaching of race and gender in Oklahoma classrooms on hold.

HB 1775 was signed into law in 2021, and was met with opposition from educators across the state, including OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. and former Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel.

A lawsuit was then filed in October 2021 by the ACLU, ACLU of Oklahoma, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under Law, and Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, challenging the constitutionality of the law

According to the ruling, parts of the law are too vague and make it difficult for teachers to determine what they can't teach in both K-12 classrooms and on college campuses.

The court halted the enforcement of a provision that prohibited university orientations and requirements that address racism and sexism.

The court also determined that provisions in HB 1775 were unclear and could prevent discussion on current political debates in K-12 classrooms.

Guidance was provided by the court for the remaining banned concepts in K-12, clarifying that teachers are not allowed to endorse banned concepts, but are allowed to discuss issues related to sexism and racism.