From the State to School - Ryan Walters 

The effects of the current controversies surrounding the government and the Department of Education is happening more than it seems. Ryan Walters, the State Superintendent of the Oklahoma Department of Education, has drawn national attention for his stances on curriculum censorship, cultural issues in education, and teacher accountability. 

Deven Carlson, a political science professor at the University of Oklahoma, states that “if his primary aim was self-promotion, he’s been ‘highly successful”. 

Critics argue that Walters is doing this to raise his national recognition by voicing “controversial” opinions on news media and outlets. His actions included referring to members of the teachers' union as “terrorists” who “indoctrinate” children, making false claims that books with LGBTQ+ themes had inappropriate content, and alleging that teachers defending LGBTQ+ rights were defending child sexual abuse. Additionally, his use of state funds for political videos, calls to audit local districts, and his harmful rhetoric about “woke indoctrination” have strained relationships with school districts across Oklahoma. Many call for his resignation as these issues are detrimental to what the Oklahoma State Department of Education was supposed to do in the first place: to teach. 

Adding to the growing chaos in Oklahoma, just a few days ago, it seemed that Walters didn’t appear to be following his own rules. Two members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education are accusing him of screening graphic images on a television connected to his computer during a meeting focused on teaching credentials and student attendance. 

As a result, more and more people are calling for the resignation of Walters. Even the state’s Republican leaders, including Governor Kevin Stitt, say that they support the investigation of the conservative superintendent who seems almost hypocritical. Only time can tell what will happen to him. 

Oklahoma Education 

Walter’s situation isn’t helping Oklahoma’s education system which is currently ranked dead last in education. Adding fuel to the fire, it also ranks near the bottom in education funding. Thus, with current controversies occurring, improvement might be a long work in progress. Despite a budget surplus, there still aren’t enough classroom resources. Despite increases in pay for educators, Oklahoma still hasn't matched up to the national averages or kept pace with inflation, which has pushed educators out of the field and worsened the state’s teacher shortage crisis. Classrooms across Oklahoma have reported increased class sizes, limited access to resources, and school districts like Tulsa and Norman have raised concerns about the Education Department because of budget instability.

Educational Reform Under Walters 

Under Superintendent Walter, Oklahoma has adopted new education rules that some critics argue restrict freedom of speech. For instance, talks about race, gender, and American history are to be carefully covered so that it doesn’t get too “inappropriate” for children.

House Bill 1775, passed in Oklahoma, bans certain teachings around race and gender that have been in place since 2021 but have been recently enforced more aggressively. In 2024, this enforcement was expanded to cover teacher training materials, libraries, and workshops. Any concept associated with critical race theory, which argues that race is a social construct and racism is embedded in the legal structure, has also been banned.

These decisions have formed an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship as educators now must face disciplinary threats for discussing topics related to these concepts. In school districts, schools have avoided discussion on civil rights and removed “controversial” books from their libraries, which has led to a chilling effect on civic education and also contributed to the teacher shortage. 

Summer Boismeir, a school teacher in Norman, Oklahoma, had students ask why they couldn’t read certain books and had to tell her students the truth. As a result, she “chose to resign so that I could continue to speak out for intellectual freedom” which demonstrates the conflict for teachers to choose between continuing to educate children and freedom of speech. 

The Next School Year 

As the current education system in Oklahoma has sparked outrage from educators and parents, there have been a number of protests, media coverage, and legislators working together to find solutions to this issue. 

However, the battle is far from over. Even in 2023, Tulsa Public Schools was nearly stripped of its accreditation after disputes occurred between Walters' budget and curriculum standards. With this, parents and school administrative boards are starting to push back to increase teacher support and decrease censorship in the classrooms. 

With threats to the stability of Oklahoma's State Department of Education, action is being taken for not just the next class of Oklahoman children, but for future generations. It is now up to the parents and educators of Oklahoma to decide whether they want to demand change but sacrifice having educators in the field or uphold the status quo in order to provide at least some sort of learning for the students.