Everything is Not OK in Oklahoma Public Schools [View all]

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2024/04/23/everything-not-ok-oklahoma-public-schools


Heading into the 2022 school year, Oklahoma school administrators directed local teachers to remove any books that could cause a student to “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex.” This was in accordance with HB 1775, a newly adopted bill prohibiting race and sex discrimination in public schools.

Instead of complying with the mandate, Summer Boismier, then a high school English teacher, chose to cover her classroom bookcases with red butcher paper adorned with the words, “Books the state doesn’t want you to read.” She also posted a QR code for her students to the Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned project. Reflecting on her choice, Boismier now says, “I understood that doing my job as an educator could cost me my job, but unlike many others in similar positions, I could afford to take such a risk.”

Following Boismier’s choice to protect her students against censorship, Walters took to his official account on the social media platform X to publicly call for the Oklahoma State Board of Education to revoke Boismier’s teaching certificate, claiming that she provided “access to banned and pornographic materials to students.”

At the time, Walters was the state secretary of education. Boismier says she was immediately inundated online with threats of violence. She subsequently sued Walters for defamation, slander, libel and false representation. Her lawsuit is among seven that have been filed against Walters since 2022, when he was electedsuperintendent of public instruction, the state’s chief education officer who advises the Board of Education.

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