Oklahoma colleges chief Ryan Walters — as soon as a candidate on President Donald Trump’s shortlist for training secretary — is now dealing with a GOP-backed probe.
By Nadra Nittle for The nineteenth
After a public backlash for pushing Bibles endorsed by President Donald Trump on Oklahoma college students, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters is now mired in scandal for a wholly totally different cause — photos of nude ladies on his workplace tv.
Two members of the Oklahoma State Board of Schooling are accusing Walters — who was on Trump’s shortlist of training secretary candidates final yr — of screening graphic photos on a tv related to his pc Thursday throughout a closed-door assembly centered on instructing credentials and scholar attendance.
Now the state’s Republican leaders, together with Gov. Kevin Stitt, say they assist a probe into the conduct of the conservative superintendent who has referred to as academics “perverts” and backed bans of books he claims comprise pornography. Walters has additionally confronted criticism from LGBTQ+ teams for his insurance policies and rhetoric, which got here below scrutiny final yr when a nonbinary Oklahoma teenager named Nex Benedict died after a bodily altercation with classmates.
In a press release on Sunday, Walters denied the accusations, which he referred to as “politically motivated attacks” as he prioritizes parental rights and rejects “radical” training agendas.
“Any suggestion that a device of mine was used to stream inappropriate content on the television set is categorically false,” he mentioned. “I have no knowledge of what was on the TV screen during the alleged incident, and there is absolutely no truth to any implication of wrongdoing.”
Board members Ryan Deatherage and Becky Carson allege that, in Walters’ workplace final week, they noticed full-frontal nudity on the TV.
Carson instructed The Oklahoman that she confronted Walters about what she’d seen, demanding he flip off the tv directly, and he complied.
Deatherage mentioned he witnessed the alternate between Carson and Walters. A 3rd board member, who mentioned he didn’t see the confrontation, described the superintendent as “shook up” and “obviously a little flustered or embarrassed” in the course of the govt session.
Quinton Hitchcock, a spokesman for Walters, denied that Walters bears duty for the express content material proven, telling The Oklahoman that a number of individuals have entry to the superintendent’s workplace. He additionally described the state board — which has challenged Walters repeatedly over points together with free scholar lunch, trainer assessments and his partnership with a web based college — as “hostile” to the superintendent.
“These falsehoods are the desperate tactics of a broken establishment afraid of real change,” Walters mentioned in his assertion. “They aren’t just attacking me, they’re attacking the values of the Oklahomans who elected me to challenge the status quo. I will not be distracted. My focus remains on making Oklahoma the best state in the nation, in every category.”
Oklahoma was lately ranked fiftieth within the nation in a brand new examine on college high quality by private finance firm Pockets Hub.
As Walters accuses the board members of ulterior motives, the governor expressed his belief and appreciation for the State Board of Schooling. “They are volunteers who are sacrificing their time to serve Oklahoma students,” Stitt mentioned. “Should these allegations be true, all I can say is that I am profoundly disappointed.”
The board members’ allegations have initiated a overview by Oklahoma’s Workplace of Administration and Enterprise Providers (OMES).
“The accounts made public by board members paint a strange, unsettling scene that demands clarity and transparency,” mentioned Senate President Professional Tem Lonnie Paxton, a Republican, in a press release. “Senator [Adam] Pugh and I appreciate the quick action by OMES to help coordinate through this situation to get details on exactly what happened. More transparency is essential before strong conclusions can be drawn.”
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Oklahoma Home Speaker Kyle Hilbert mentioned in a press release that the allegations in opposition to Walters warrant a third-party overview.
“I urge the State Superintendent to unlock and turn over all relevant devices and fully cooperate with an investigation,” mentioned Hilbert, a Republican. “If no wrongdoing occurred, a prompt and transparent review should quickly clear his name.”
Deatherage and Carson need to see Walters held accountable in the identical method a trainer could be below these circumstances.
“We hold educators to the strictest of standards when it comes to explicit material,” Deatherage mentioned in a press release. “The standard for the superintendent should be no different.”
