Ryan Walters steps down after turbulent tenure as Oklahoma state superintendent

Ryan Walters, the state faculty superintendent who applied Bibles in all public lecture rooms within the state, will resign from his place efficient the tip of this month.

Elected in 2022, Walters spent his tenure as head of faculties routinely injecting faith into the States’ public colleges, and he’ll be part of the Trainer Freedom Alliance, a nonprofit centered on limiting the affect of trainer unions, within the chief govt place. In response to their web site, “Walters fearlessly fights the woke liberal union mob,” the group mentioned Thursday on its web site.

Whereas the announcement was a shock for some, many advocates of public schooling view this resignation as a “win” for Oklahoma’s public colleges.

Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Lecturers, dismissed Walters’ new function.

“Lecturers are extra unionized than some other career, and the Freedom Basis’s post-Janus marketing campaign to persuade academics to drop their union has been a dismal failure,” she mentioned. “Faculties are about serving to youngsters develop the fervour and function to pave pathways to a greater life — and meaning working collectively, not going to struggle, a lesson Walters seems to not have realized.”

Even Oklahoma Legal professional Normal Gentner Drummond commented that the chaos introduced by Walter’s tenure has impacted instructing and studying within the state.

“Ever since Gov. Stitt appointed Ryan Walters to function Secretary of Schooling, we’ve witnessed a stream of unending scandal and political drama. From the mishandling of pandemic aid funds that resulted in households shopping for Xboxes and fridges to the most recent squabbling with board members over what was or wasn’t exhibiting on TV, the Stitt-Walters period has been a humiliation to our state.”

In June 2024, Walters ordered that each one public colleges in Oklahoma should train the Ten Commandments. Most not too long ago, he mentioned that each one colleges within the state would have a chapter of Turning Level USA, based by Charlie Kirk, who was killed earlier this month. As well as, beneath his tenure, he adopted a social research studying normal that echoed Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was received on account of voter fraud.

Earlier this yr, he required academics from out of state who needed to be licensed in Oklahoma to take a “woke check” to fight “woke indoctrination”.

As well as, Walters appointed Chaya Raichik, a Brooklyn-based creator of the Libs of TikTok social media account devoted to harassing liberals and LGBTQ+ folks, to Oklahoma’s Library Media Advisory Committee. Raichik had no instructional background, no ties to Oklahoma, and no kids within the state’s colleges.

A former Superior Placement historical past and authorities trainer from McAlester, Oklahoma, Walters was a proponent of increasing entry to constitution colleges and personal faculty vouchers with a public push for non secular constitution colleges, however the Supreme Court docket rejected the advance.

Throughout a state board of schooling assembly, he was accused of enjoying inappropriate materials on the tv in his workplace. Most not too long ago, Walter directed colleges to watch a second of silence in the course of the day in honor of Charlie Kirk, who was killed on Sept. 10 in Utah. Nonetheless, a number of districts determined to not comply with the directive, stating that they already observe moments of silence each morning for scholar reflection.

The Trainer Freedom Alliance was based in 2025 by the Freedom Basis, a conservative group that seeks to restrict the affect of public sector unions. This group, now led by Walters, would assist academics who hoped to cease paying union dues on account of their help of the “liberal” politics.