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by Sam Lau •
Mass Exodus at OSDE Continues: “The state Education Department's attorneys are all gone.”
Oklahoma City – Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters must be relieved the calendar has turned to April, because his last week of March was filled with continued backlash and criticism from Oklahomans, canceled events, and more staff upheaval at the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE). It’s clear that no matter how much Walters tries to hide himself from criticism, Oklahomans refuse to let him off the hook. Take a look:
Monday, March 25: More Bad Polling for Walters
NonDoc, a nonprofit news site operated by the Sustainable Journalism Foundation, reported on new polling data on Walters, including one survey privately shared by Republican operatives, that all “show Walters with significant unfavorable ratings among a variety of demographics.”
Wednesday, March 27: Attempts to Silence Oklahomans Ahead of Board Meeting
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.
Thursday, March 28: Oklahomans Speak Out Against Walters at Board Meeting, OSDE Has No Lawyers Left
Just ten members of the public are allowed to speak during the public comment period at the Oklahoma State Board of Education monthly meetings. All ten speakers at Thursday’s meeting used their time to call out State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters for his failure to protect the state’s LGBTQ+ students and keep Oklahoma schools safe. Their message was clear: Ryan Walters must be removed from office. Watch full video of Oklahomans criticizing Walters’ failures here.
But that wasn’t the only news to come out of the OSDE meeting: as The Oklahoman reported, it appears the department doesn’t have any attorneys left on staff, the latest development in a mass exodus of staff from the Oklahoma State Department of Education
Any shock then that Walters, who usually speaks to reporters after every board meeting, refused to answer questions on Thursday?
Friday, March 29: Walters Cancels Event
Just a day after the disastrous OSDE meeting, The Oklahoman reported that Ryan Walters had pulled out of an event hosted by a conservative group at Oklahoma State University, where student protests had been planned. "Is he so shaken by facing Oklahomans calling for his removal that he won’t even appear in front of a friendly crowd?" said Laurel Powell, the director of communications at HRC.
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