Okla. House Panel Rejects Science Teaching Standards Over Climate

"An Oklahoma House of Representatives committee voted to reject a new set of state science standards for schools this week, a move that, according to the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association, is 'unprecedented.'

On Monday, the Oklahoma House Administrative Rules and Government Oversight Committee voted 10-1 to reject the Oklahoma Academic Skills for Science, a set of academic standards that had been developed by a committee of teachers, community members, as well as business and industry representatives over the last year and a half. The standards had been approved unanimously by the state board of education in March, and it’s not yet clear how this House committee’s ruling will affect the future of the standards, though, as the National Center for Science Education points out, the blocking of the standards would need to be passed by the House and the Senate and signed by the Governor to go into effect.

One of the things brought up in the House Committee meeting was concern over teaching climate and weather subjects in early grades."

Katie Valentine reports for Climate Progress May 15, 2014.