Oklahoma mother says daughter's world history assignment pushes Christianity

Olivia Gray, a concerned mother from Skiatook, is questioning the appropriateness of a school research assignment her daughter received at Skiatook High School.

The assignment titled "How did the world start?" asked questions like "Who started it?" "What does it mean to be a Christian?" and "Is God real?"

Gray said her daughter, a sophomore, brought the assignment to her attention, prompting Gray to voice her concerns on Facebook.

"My daughter is in AP classes and is a very intelligent young woman," Gray said. "If she didn't have concerns about this assignment, she wouldn't have shown it to me."

Gray said the questions are inappropriate for students, especially for Native American students. She expressed concern over what she said was bias in the questions given to students in a World History class online assignment.

"I think they're the wrong questions to ask a Native student, considering our history," Gray said. "If you consider how we've been forcefully converted, I don't think asking us any questions about Christianity is fair at this point."

Gray expressed unease about the methods of teacher Erich Richter, who assigned the work to students. The Examiner-Enterprise was unable to confirm Richter's employment at Skiatook High School; Richter was not listed on the school's online teacher directory. The Examiner-Enterprise found that the Oklahoma State Board of Education issued an "emergency or provisional certificate" licensure to Richter in February 2024 for the Tulsa School District.

Gray described him as a former Marine and coach and called him "intimidating because he's very tall and loud."

While Gray has not yet contacted the school she said wants to know if this assignment came from Oklahoma State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters ' recent mandate or just the teacher. In June 2024, Oklahoma State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters mandated that districts integrate the Bible into the curriculum for grades 5 through 12, emphasizing its value as a historical document, a move that caused controversy.

"I'm already upset about it," she said. "I want to see Ryan Walters go away and teachers like this gone."

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"Children should be taught critical thinking, and we should teach them how important it is to have their own opinions and to have knowledgeable opinions," Gray said.

Multiple attempts were made to contact Skiatook Public Schools by the Examiner-Enterprise, but the school district did not respond to requests to confirm if the assignment came from the school or if Richter was a teacher there.

Editor's note: This is a breaking story and will be updated with additional information by the Examiner-Enterprise once it becomes available.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Oklahoma mother says daughter's world history assignment pushes Christianity