ryan walters


personally, I blame public school library books and liberal indoctrination...

“Lack of accountability and transparency” following LOFT meeting with OSDE kfor

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Superintendent of Oklahoma schools Ryan Walters was held somewhat accountable during a Thursday meeting regarding reports from the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT).

“I feel like further thought needs to be given before this gets rolled out,” said Representative Melissa Provenzano at one point.

Questions revolved around two new reports from LOFT. One of the reports surrounded the review of how the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) has handled using or applying for federal funds and grants.

One of the major findings was that around $1.4 million in grant funding was left on the table in the recent year that would have gone towards making schools safer. That is $1.4 million of taxpayer dollars going towards other states that are not Oklahoma.

Specifically, the Ready 2 Learn grant amounted to just over $1.17 million in unused funds. The other grant was the STOP School Violence Technology and Threat Assessment grant which amounted to just over $216,900 according to the findings.

Over a month ago, KFOR reported on findings that OSDE missed out on a $1 million grant.


Supt. Walters at the time was asked why and said, “We have a process where we look at every grant and we make sure Joe Biden is not trying to indoctrinate kids with the grant.”

However, that was not his answer when he was asked why $1.4 million was left on the table Thursday.

Instead, he responded with a few different answers when asked what happened. Mainly he blamed his exodus of staff which, not too long ago he praised as being a good thing for OSDE and Oklahoma schools.

“The employees that allowed this to happen are no longer with us. They either were removed or left intentionally and did not turn over the records,” said Supt. Walters to the committee.

He also answered by blaming the media for misreporting or lying. And finally, he blamed the previous administration which would have been Joy Hoffmeister.

The questions from Representatives then evolved into asking about staffing at OSDE surrounding federal grants. A question asked was about how many staff members work or are there to apply for these grants.

The answers for that were different as well. At one point OSDE said that everyone in the agency looks through the grants and then a woman by the name of Jennifer was named as looking through competitive grants.

“Quite frankly, some people would leave a lot of information behind,” OSDE eventually blamed staffing for a lack of applications for certain grants.

He also answered by blaming the media for misreporting or lying. And finally, he blamed the previous administration which would have been Joy Hoffmeister.

The questions from Representatives then evolved into asking about staffing at OSDE surrounding federal grants. A question asked was about how many staff members work or are there to apply for these grants.

The answers for that were different as well. At one point OSDE said that everyone in the agency looks through the grants and then a woman by the name of Jennifer was named as looking through competitive grants.

“Quite frankly, some people would leave a lot of information behind,” OSDE eventually blamed staffing for a lack of applications for certain grants.

ESSER funds were granted during the Coronavirus pandemic to states in order to help schools nationwide. States received millions in funds, the dashboard was created to be transparent.

“It’s not transparent when it’s completely out of date,” stated several Representatives.

Under this further questioning, Walters blamed staff and pointed at previous Superintendent Hoffmeister for it being not up to date.


“We’ve been waiting,” said Walters after he stated that they didn’t have access to update some of the numbers yet.

“If it hasn’t been updated in six months or more than a year, does that make it more or less transparent,” asked Representative Michael Brooks.

Walters then told lawmakers that he would send updated numbers to them at a later date.

Some of the answers given to lawmakers regarding the findings in LOFT’s reports were not the same ones given to KFOR over the past year when asked similar questions.

The other report focused on OSDE’s actions in terms of testing.

Recently, OSDE proposed tying a school’s standing to improving test scores. Essentially any school or district with 50% of students scoring below basic could end up losing accreditation or be close to losing accreditation.

Walters told lawmakers that schools could appeal if their scores were below basic.

Several superintendents have spoken with KFOR about their concerns surrounding this. Some said that it would negatively affect things, like smaller more rural districts or schools.


“It is unfair and unjust to judge students in that fashion,” said Superintendent of Duke Public Schools Todd Ware in a previous interview.

On Thursday several lawmakers at the meeting showed concern surrounding the issue and asked Superintendent Walters questions around that topic.

“Our students with disabilities are overwhelmingly impacted by this rule, I would imagine,” said Rep. Provenzano.

“Poverty-stricken students will clearly be affected,” said Representative Meloyde Blancett.


However Supt. Walters stood by his thoughts surrounding the issue as he has said in the past.

“I think it is essential we hold high expectations for kids no matter what their background is,” said Supt. Walters.

Several other points were made in the two reports that can be found here.


Thursday’s reports were only the beginning and not the finalized report. Representatives pushed to continue discussing and finding answers to the many questions asked.
 
Polds4OSU said:
okcfox.com

'A great day for Oklahoma students': Walters welcomes education rules, critics sound alarm

Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters (R) is voicing his support for new rules affecting public education in the state.Gov. Kevin Sti
okcfox.com okcfox.com
Click to expand...
Well on their way to destroying public schools completely. These as- hats like to pretend that students are a homogeneous group when in reality they are everything but. Yes, if we could control the caliber of the kids we teach our scores would certainly be better. But only private and religious schools are allowed to discriminate. Public schools teach whatever walks in the door. Don’t steal public funds to support schools that discriminate !
 
Pistol Pete's Mustache said:
Yay, just waiting to get spanked down by Drummond again for being a dumb a-hole. I have a long term commitment here that will end next summer, I'm seriously considering moving out of state. I can't raise my kids around this bs.
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I was amused by him at first, but he's really gone off the deep end. Mandating that religious ideology be taught in schools is insane. I'm sure this will get struck down in court, but it's still embarrassing.
 

Oklahoma Superintendent Commands Schools to Teach the Bible. Says every SINGLE teacher must keep a Bible and 10 commandments in their Class and Every Single Teacher Must Teach it​


https://twitter.com/x/status/1806365533605929163

Oklahoma's far-right Superintendent Ryan Walters has issued a directive commanding the state's classrooms to keep a copy of the Bible and teach that "the Bible and the Ten Commandments are foundational for Western civilization."

In a memorandum issued to Oklahoma schools on Thursday, Walters announced: "Effective immediately, all Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum across specified grade levels."


"The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone," Walters wrote. "Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation which is why Oklahoma educational standards provide for its instruction. This is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country."

In a Thursday press conference, Walters added that "every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom, and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom."


The directive comes just days after Louisiana's Republican Governor Jeff Landry signed into law a bill requiring every classroom in the state to display a copy of the Biblical Ten Commandments. The law has already been challenged in court by an interfaith coalition of Louisiana families who argue that the legislation "the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment."


A similar legal debate was recently ruled on by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which determined earlier this week that the use of public funds to establish religious charter schools violated both the state's constitution and the federal Constitution's Establishment Clause.

"The framers of the U.S. Constitution and those who drafted Oklahoma's Constitution clearly understood how best to protect religious freedom: by preventing the state from sponsoring any religion at all," Oklahoma's Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in praise of the ruling.

Walters disagreed. The superintendent - who has made a name for himself championing dubiously legal anti-"woke" policies throughout Oklahoma's education system - wrote that "the Oklahoma Supreme Court got it wrong."

"The words ‘separation of church and state' do not appear in our Constitution, and it is outrageous that the Oklahoma Supreme Court misunderstood key cases involving the First Amendment and sanctioned discrimination against Christians based solely on their faith," he added.


It's not the first time Walters' actions as superintendent have landed on the desk of the state Supreme Court. In February, Edmond Public Schools petitioned the court to intervene in response to a threat from the Oklahoma Department of Education ordering them to remove two books - Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner and Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle. - from its high school libraries on the grounds that they were "pornographic" or face a downgrading of their accreditation.



The court ruled in the district's favor earlier this month, writing in its decision that "the state Board of Education is attempting to exercise unauthorized quasi-judicial authority in enforcement proceedings before the board."

Walters' status as a semi-rogue actor using his office to boost his political profile and feed culture-war grievances has been inevitably met with legal challenges and frustration from Oklahoma parents has even drawn the attention of the legislature - and the state's governor.

Earlier this month, the state legislature passed new rules curtailing Walters' and the state Department of Education's ability to spend taxpayer dollars on self-promoting public relations material. The bill was promptly vetoed by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, who instead issued a statewide executive order severely curtailing Oklahoma officials' ability to spend taxpayer dollars on contracting public relations firms. Walters had previously been investigated by fellow Republicans in the state legislature regarding allegations that he had hired and paid his former campaign adviser, Matt Langston, more than $100,000 in state funds without an official employment contract.


With his latest directive, Walters is once again likely headed for a battle with the Oklahoma Supreme Court, state lawmakers, schools, and parents. But Walters' string of losses within his own state is a price he's willing to pay in exchange for the adoration of national Republican figures like former President Donald Trump, who earlier this week lavished praise of the superintendent.

"Great job by Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters on FoxNews last night. Strong, decisive, and knows his "stuff." I LOVE OKLAHOMA!," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Walters promoted the shoutout from the former president multiple times on his social media, writing in one post that under his tenure Oklahoma is "leading the country in reforming education!"
 
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Questions.

1. There are more than 200 different interpretations of the Bible. Which one will be required for Oklahoma Teachers to Use and Why?
2. what Denominations version of The Holy Eucharist will be taught?
3. Some denominations believe that Speaking in Tongues is the only way to be Saved....Will that be taught ? or what will be taught as the true path to Salvation?
4. Some Christian faiths require certain physical appearance or clothing or lack of certain types of Clothes or Jewlry. Will Girls be taught they can't wear jeans and cut their hair ? Will everyone be taught they can't wear jewelry
5. What level of school or district administration will settle disputes among teachers ......if a Catholic or Pentacostal have a conflict over the way a certain subject should be taught (Like prayers to Mother Mary) ? Who will determine which is "Right" or "Wrong" to teach to the kids ?
 

Ryan Walters memo: Bible must be taught in schools, strict compliance expected, Adherence to this mandate is compulsory,, ​

Oklahoma state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters sent a letter to state school districts on Thursday ordering them to incorporate the Bible “as an instructional support into the curriculum" for grades 5 through 12, citing its importance as a historical document.

“Adherence to this mandate is compulsory,” Walters’ letter read. “Further instructions for monitoring and reporting on this implementation for the 2024/25 school year will be forthcoming. Immediate and strict compliance is expected.”


Walters announced he’d sent the letter during the monthly state Board of Education, as a stack of five books – three of which were various versions of the Bible – set stacked in front of him. His spokesman sent a press release to local and state media but did not provide a copy of the letter. The Oklahoman obtained the letter from another source.

Walters’ announcement came two days after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that a contract between the Statewide Virtual School Charter Board and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, would have been the nation’s first religious-based charter school, was violated both the state and U.S. Constitutions and state law. Walters was not a party in that case, although he strongly criticized the court’s decision.

Walters cited broad authority under Title 70 of Oklahoma Statutes, which governs state education, in making the order. Part of that law reads, in part, “School districts shall exclusively determine the instruction, curriculum, reading lists and instructional materials and textbooks, subject to any applicable provisions or requirements as set forth in law, to be used in meeting the subject matter standards. School districts may, at their discretion, adopt supplementary student assessments which are in addition to the statewide student assessments.”


In a press release, Walters said his directive “is in alignment” with state educational standards approved in May 2019. That’s when the Oklahoma State Department of Education updated its social studies standards under then-state Superintendent Joy Hofmeister.

“Oklahoma law already explicitly allows Bibles in the classroom and enables teachers to use them in instruction,” the state Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

While Oklahoma is a deeply conservative state politically, that philosophy has had its limits. In 2016, Oklahoma voters — by more than 200,000 votes — rejected State Question 790, which would have removed Section 5, Article 2 of the Oklahoma Constitution, which states: “No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such.”


In his letter, Walters called the Bible “one of the most historically significant books and a cornerstone of Western civilization, along with the Ten Commandments. They will be referenced as an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like, as well as for their substantial influence on our nation’s founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution. This is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country. “

He said the state Department of Education may supply teaching materials for Bible instruction “to ensure uniformity in delivery.”

Among those criticizing Walters’ action was the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“We adamantly oppose any requirements that religion be forcefully taught or required as a part of lesson plans in public schools, in Oklahoma, or anywhere else in the country,” said CAIR-OK’s executive director, Adam Soltani. “Religious freedom, as outlined in the Constitution, allows for the academic instruction of religion in subjects such as geography, social studies, and history. To require religious scripture, regardless of which one it may be, to be incorporated into lessons in our schools, however, is a clear violation of the Constitution's establishment clause and infringes on the rights of our students and their families.”


Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City, a frequent critic of Walters, cited Oklahoma’s low ranking on national education lists and suggested the superintendent’s focus should be elsewhere.

“Requiring a Bible in every classroom does not improve Oklahoma’s ranking in 49th in education,” Dollens told The Oklahoman. “Ryan Walters should focus on educating students, not evangelizing them.”


Two Democrats who serve on the House Education Committee, Rep. Melissa Provenzano of Tulsa and Rep. John Waldron of Tulsa, suggested school districts should take a wait-and-see approach on Walters' order.

“Following this new directive from the State Superintendent of Education, we advise school districts to carefully review and follow existing state law when it comes to religious instruction in schools,” Provenzano said. “We know from the outcome of SQ 790 that Oklahomans are overwhelmingly against using public dollars to fund religious purposes. The Oklahoma Constitution is very clear on what is allowed when it comes to public education.

“Religious instruction should begin with and remain in the rightful hands of parents and guardians. Today’s directive feels like an unprecedented attempt from the State Superintendent to distract from the reported investigations into financial mismanagement of tax dollars meant to support our schools.”


Rachel Laser, the president and chief executive officer of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, called Walters' order "textbook Christian Nationalism: Walters is abusing the power of his public office to impose his religious beliefs on everyone else’s children.

“Public schools are not Sunday schools," Laser said. "Walters has repeatedly made clear that he is incapable of distinguishing the difference and is unfit for office. His latest scheme – to mandate use of the Bible in Oklahoma public schools’ curriculum – is a transparent, unconstitutional effort to indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students."
 
Polds4OSU said:
Questions.

1. There are more than 200 different interpretations of the Bible. Which one will be required for Oklahoma Teachers to Use and Why?
2. what Denominations version of The Holy Eucharist will be taught?
3. Some denominations believe that Speaking in Tongues is the only way to be Saved....Will that be taught ? or what will be taught as the true path to Salvation?
4. Some Christian faiths require certain physical appearance or clothing or lack of certain types of Clothes or Jewlry. Will Girls be taught they can't wear jeans and cut their hair ? Will everyone be taught they can't wear jewelry
5. What level of school or district administration will settle disputes among teachers ......if a Catholic or Pentacostal have a conflict over the way a certain subject should be taught (Like prayers to Mother Mary) ? Who will determine which is "Right" or "Wrong" to teach to the kids ?
Click to expand...
I’d guess a southern Baptist/Catholic combo. When that eventually fails the biased and partisan Supreme Court along with another million dollar unconstitutional lawsuit or two should do the trick.
 
talk about grooming...at last, all public school children will learn about child molestation, emotional and sexual abuse, adultery, financial exploitation of tithing...this might be a good thing...
 
Polds4OSU said:
Questions.

1. There are more than 200 different interpretations of the Bible. Which one will be required for Oklahoma Teachers to Use and Why?
2. what Denominations version of The Holy Eucharist will be taught?
3. Some denominations believe that Speaking in Tongues is the only way to be Saved....Will that be taught ? or what will be taught as the true path to Salvation?
4. Some Christian faiths require certain physical appearance or clothing or lack of certain types of Clothes or Jewlry. Will Girls be taught they can't wear jeans and cut their hair ? Will everyone be taught they can't wear jewelry
5. What level of school or district administration will settle disputes among teachers ......if a Catholic or Pentacostal have a conflict over the way a certain subject should be taught (Like prayers to Mother Mary) ? Who will determine which is "Right" or "Wrong" to teach to the kids ?
Click to expand...
Can you imagine the $h!+ storm that would ensue from the Calvanists if a Catholic teacher handed out rosaries and started prayers “Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.”?

Or when a teacher from the United Methodist Church teaches the truth that Sodom wasn’t destroyed bc of gay people?

How about when a Unitarian uses actual scripture that teaches that ALL are saved?

Or when a science teacher uses the actual measurements from Genesis to prove that evolution is the answer for the number of distinct species of animals bc you couldn’t possibly get that many animals and enough food for all of the animals for 40 days/nights.
 
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