Senator Zack Taylor (R-Seminole) has joined a growing list of lawmakers that are putting pressure on the State Board of Education to implement a new law that bans the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.

The Board of Education will meet Monday, July 12 at 9:30 a.m. to consider emergency rules to implement the guidelines set by House Bill 1775, which disallows teaching history and other courses using the concept of critical race theory. Senator David Bullard (R-Durant) and Rep. Kevin West (R-Moore) were the primary authors of the bill, which went into effect July 1. Bullard and West last

Bullard and West last week called on the State Board of Ed to implement rules so that the issue is clear ahead of the next school year, which begins in August for most students. Fifty-nine House Republicans signed onto West’s call and by Thursday afternoon, 17 Republican senators, including Taylor, had added their names to the list.

“Teachers deserve clear guidelines when they start this school year so they can obey the law created by the passage of House Bill 1775,” West said. “To delay the implementation of rules that follow the intent of the legislation is a disservice to students, parents and educators, causing needless fear and confusion over what is allowed and disallowed in our public school classrooms.”

Critical race theory has become a hotbed issue nationally, and Oklahoma is one of only a handful of states to implement restrictions on its use in public classrooms.

“We call upon Superintendent Hofmeister and the State Board of Education to move without delay to adopt rules at Monday’s special State Board of Education meeting,” Bullard said in a statement released Wednesday. “Rules implementing HB 1775 are necessary to ensure that accuracy, transparency, and truthfulness are the foundational principles of Oklahoma’s education system— not indoctrination and discrimination.”

Other senators calling for HB 1775 to be implemented include Mark Allen, R-Spiro, Michael Bergstrom, R-Adair, George Burns, R-Pollard, Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, James Leewright, R-Bristow, Jake Merrick, R-Yukon, Casey Murdock, R-Felt, Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, Cody Rogers, R-Tulsa, Frank Simpson, R-Springer, Rob Standridge, R-Norman, Blake Stephens, R-Tahlequah, and Darrell Weaver, R-Moore.