The Oregon State Board of Education unanimously voted on Thursday to remove basic mastery of reading, writing, and math in order to graduate from high school until 2029.

The board claimed that requiring all students to pass one of several standardised tests or to create an in-depth assignment their teacher judged as meeting state standards was a harmful hurdle for students of colour, disabled students, or those learning English as a second language.

“We haven’t suspended any sort of assessment,” state board member Vicky Lopez Sanchez said. “The only thing we are suspending is the inappropriate use of how those assessments were being used. I think that really is in the best interest of Oregon students.”

The vote went against the desires of dozens of Oregonians who submitted public comments insisting the standards should be reinstated, including former Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan. Backlash against the lowered standard had delayed the vote, which was originally slated to take place in September.