Oklahoma City – As Oklahoma State Superintendent for Public Schools Ryan Walters faces increasing scrutiny and escalating calls for his ouster, state officials used ties and an extension cord to close off the entrance to the Oklahoma State Department of Education ahead of a highly anticipated State Board of Education meeting in what The Oklahoman is calling a “dramatic change of enforcement protocol.” In a clear effort to silence Oklahomans waiting outside in order to gain entrance to the State Board of Education meeting, a new rule was posted on the building barring people from waiting outside the building between 11 p.m. Wednesday night and 6 a.m. Thursday morning. This occurred despite the fact that, as Fox 25 reports, members of the public have previously camped overnight to reserve a spot at the board meetings, where seating and opportunities for public comments are extremely limited.

According to The Oklahoman, “spokespeople for both the OSDE and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which handles security for the building, wouldn’t say Wednesday night who asked for the change.”

Laurel Powell, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, responded to these developments: “It is the right of Oklahoma parents to be able to express their concerns to the State Board of Education. The fact that Ryan Walters, who is facing calls for his removal and scrutiny from all directions, appears scared to hear from them, once again shows his unfitness for office. What is he so afraid of hearing from Oklahoma parents and community members?”

BREAKING: The Oklahoma State School Board appears to have barricaded the door in advance of tomorrow’s board meeting. What are they so afraid of hearing from Oklahoma parents? pic.twitter.com/bfZHTTmX0Q

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 28, 2024

This new escalation from OSDE comes as State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters faces continued backlash from Oklahoma parents and dwindling poll numbers. Under his watch, Oklahoma schools are in a race to the bottom of the national education standings (49th nationally in K-12 education), all while there continues to be a mass exodus of staff from the Oklahoma State Department of Education, repeated clashes with state legislatures, and dangerous rhetoric and policies that have left Oklahoma’s 2SLGBTQI (two spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex+) students reporting feeling unsafe in the state’s schools in the wake of the death of Nex Benedict.

"I believe we have a right as citizens to be anywhere we want to be on this ground... this is the people's ground," concerned resident Mike Howe told Fox 25.

Added Erica Watkins, “"We do want to have an ability... to speak as, you know, constituents and of parents that have kids in Oklahoma public school.”

Read more on these latest developments:

Fox 25: 'This is the people's ground': Ties, electrical cord used to lock OSDE entrance

• “Officials used ties and an extension cord to close off the front entrance to the Oklahoma State Department of Education on Wednesday. The decision drew concern from residents who set up outside the entrance ahead of Thursday's State Board of Education meeting.”
• “FOX 25 also obtained video of a worker removing a memorial set up for the late wife of Sean Cummings, vice mayor of The Village, from inside the entrance doors.”
• "We are going to stand in line as our right of citizens and taxpaying Oklahomans to speak at this meeting and to be present at this meeting," asserted Erica Watkins, regional director for Defense of Democracy…Watkins shared that it's gotten harder to gain access to state board of education meetings and sign up for one of ten public comment slots.
• “In the past, members of the public have camped overnight to reserve a space at state board meetings. The DPS spokeswoman said officials are now enforcing the overnight rule.”

The Oklahoman: New security rule posted at the Capitol alarmed a group lined up for an OSDE meeting

• “Seating is limited in the small room where the board's monthly meetings are held, and only those who line up early have a chance to get in. In addition to posting the new rules, security guards used an extension cable to tie the doors to the OSDE building closed, although they were locked, as usual after business hours.”
• “The new rules posted said no one would be allowed to wait outside the building between 11 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday. It was a dramatic change of enforcement protocol and spokespeople for both the OSDE and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which handles security for the building, wouldn’t say Wednesday night who asked for the change.”
• “Laurel Powell, the director of communications and programs for HRC, said she arrived at the Hodge Building around 5 p.m. Powell said there were only a handful of people standing outside the building and they were under an awning, trying to stay out of rain that was falling at the time, “not bothering anybody.”
• “Powell said a couple of people had chairs set up, and that building security people “freaked out. They snatched this poor guy’s camping chair, posted (the message about the curfew) … They were trying to signal that at 11 (p.m.), you’d better not be here. It was such an overreaction. There were people just waiting there, in the cold, outside, in the rain."

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