Latest news with #HB1775
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
I'm a former high school teacher. We need DEI, but discourse must center on civility
Recent events have prompted me to take a time-out from my assignment of writing on the generation of young men adrift. I fear that the inability for us adults in the room to practice civility is penalizing our kids. I've observed that most Oklahomans do not understand critical race theory (CRT) or Oklahoma's House Bill 1775. I don't mean that as a slight ― misinformation thrives in an age of information overload. What is CRT? CRT was developed in the 1970s by Derrick Bell, Harvard's first tenured Black professor, to examine shortcomings in civil rights laws. Over time, scholars expanded CRT to analyze systemic racism ― how legal and social structures have historically disadvantaged minorities. CRT remained in law schools until the Black Lives Matter movement brought it to the mainstream after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. A law professor teaching CRT might ask students to study redlining ― the historical practice of denying Black families home loans, which affected generational wealth. CRT is an academic tool, not a curriculum for K-12 schools. Despite controversy, HB 1775 does not mention CRT or DEI. It prohibits Oklahoma's K-12 public schools from teaching that: One race or sex is inherently superior. An individual is inherently oppressive. A race or gender is inherently mediocre. It does not prevent teaching about historical discrimination, civil rights or racism. It should be clear that Gov. Kevin Stitt instructed the state auditor's office to investigate whether Tulsa Public Schools used state funds to violate HB 1775 ― not whether CRT was being taught. A teacher cannot say: 'All white people are racist.' 'If you are white, you are responsible for past injustices.' A teacher can say: 'Oklahoma's history includes the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.' 'The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed racial discrimination.' Opinion: DEI is pro-opportunity. CRT is pro-truth. They benefit all, regardless of race. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is a framework used in workplaces, schools, and organizations to ensure fair treatment and equal opportunities for people of all races, gender, religion, etc. Unlike CRT, which is an academic theory, DEI is a real-world initiative. Schools: Training teachers to recognize implicit bias. Workplaces: Encouraging diverse (but fair) hiring practices. Health care: Ensuring culturally competent care. DEI is not affirmative action, nor does it give preferential treatment to minorities ― hence the focus on equity. I would argue that a drag queen wishing to lead story-hour is wrongly riding the coattails of DEI. I earned my teaching certification through the Tulsa Teachers Corps (TTC) program. Did TTC train teachers on CRT? I was there, and the answer is, 'No.' Did TTC breach HB-1775? Again, I was there, and the answer is, 'No.' Did TTC teach DEI? Absolutely ― 100% yes. Opinion: 'DEI' has been co-opted for political gain, but its principles are common sense Growing up in Tulsa as an Asian American, I faced little discrimination ― nothing compared to what my Black friends endured. But in my classroom, where 75% of my students identified as minorities, I saw the need for DEI. I believe in DEI ― not 100%. Like anything, I don't accept it all without question. Take it from someone who was in the room: Black students, in particular, are not treated fairly by society. Many face daily reminders of injustice. If you are like me, you need to see it close and up front to come to this sad reality. My fervent wish and prayer are that we approach these discussions with civility ― thus the root word 'civil.' After 38 years in Los Angeles, K. John Lee recently boomeranged back to his Oklahoma roots. He is a financier, real estate investor, former high school teacher and a father of two young men. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: DEI, CRT discussions are misinformed. Our kids suffer most | Opinion
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tulsa Public Schools invokes Oklahoma law to halt state audit release, auditor says
State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd speaks at a news conference Tuesday at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — A forensic audit of Tulsa Public Schools with 'significant' findings is complete, but State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd said Tuesday her office must wait two more weeks to release it. Byrd said Tulsa's superintendent and school board invoked a state law that requires her office to discuss audit findings with the audited school at least 14 days prior to releasing the report publicly. An attorney representing the district informed her office Tuesday morning of Tulsa's intent to invoke the law, she said. Byrd planned to release the full report that afternoon and called the invocation highly unusual. Her news conference at the Oklahoma History Center lasted three minutes. Byrd said she was unable to answer questions and then left the room. 'We called this press conference to release the forensic audit report for Tulsa Public Schools,' Byrd said. 'I've just been told I cannot do that today. The audit is complete and the findings are significant, but you're not allowed to see it.' The school district did not immediately comment after the news conference. Gov. Kevin Stitt requested the audit on July 7, 2022. Tulsa Board of Education members E'Lena Ashley and Jennettie Marshall had raised concerns with the governor about the district's finances and an alleged lack of transparency with the school board by then-Superintendent Deborah Gist's administration. At the time, Stitt said he was concerned with potential mishandling of funds and criticized the district for the length of time it remained closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also suggested Tulsa violated House Bill 1775, a 2021 state law that prohibits certain race and gender topics from being discussed in schools. Tulsa later suffered an accreditation penalty over HB 1775. It is unclear how much of the governor's complaints will be addressed in the final audit. The district's former chief talent and equity officer had resigned in June 2022 when accused of embezzling district funds with fraudulent invoices. Devin Darel Fletcher later pleaded guilty in Tulsa federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Fletcher was sentenced on Nov. 25 to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. A federal judge ordered him to pay $593,492.32 in restitution. Multiple Tulsa administrators have left the district in the years since the governor requested the audit. Gist resigned under pressure from state Superintendent Ryan Walters and the state Board of Education in September 2023, facing criticisms over the district's financial and academic performance. Several members of her leadership team later followed. Byrd said it took two years to finish auditing the district because of 'constant obstacles that TPS administrators employed to delay and mislead our investigators.' She will have to wait two more weeks to make the report public unless the district agrees to having it released sooner. Either way, she said the results won't change. 'This tactic falls perfectly in line with the pattern of behavior that we have witnessed for two years,' Byrd said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ryan Walters asks for summary judgment in defamation lawsuit filed by former Norman teacher
A new attorney hired by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has asked for summary judgment in a defamation lawsuit filed against Walters by a former Norman Public Schools teacher. Attorney David Gleason, of Oklahoma City, made the filing Monday in the federal lawsuit brought by Summer Boismier in August 2023. Gleason moved into a primary role in the case after the withdrawal of attorney Tim Davis of Fort Worth, Texas, in January. Last April, U.S. District Judge Bernard Jones rejected a previous motion by Walters to dismiss the lawsuit. The lawsuit is on Jones' trial docket for June 2025, and the length of the trial is expected to be four days. In his filing, Gleason offered a handful of reasons why Boismier's suit should be dismissed. Gleason said under Oklahoma law, public school teachers are public figures, which requires a higher standard to prove defamation. He said all of Walters' alleged defamatory statements about Boismier all related to her teaching duties. Boismier and Walters long have been at odds. Boismier resigned from Norman Public Schools in August 2022 after drawing attention to her protest against House Bill 1775, an Oklahoma law that prohibits schools from covering certain concepts on race and gender. In her classroom, Boismier covered shelves with red butcher paper and posted a sign written in black marker that read, "Books the state doesn't want you to read." She also posted a QR code to the Brooklyn Public Library, which gives students online access to banned books. Boismier sued Walters in federal court in August 2023, claiming posts published by Walters on his public accounts on X in August 2022 — when he served as Gov. Kevin Stitt's secretary of education — contained 'false and misleading statements,' including that Boismier had been fired from Norman Public Schools, that she had distributed pornography to students and that she had 'sexualized her classroom.' Walters falsely claimed the Norman district had fired Boismier. She said in her lawsuit she 'was a teacher rather than a politician or public figure' when those statements were published. Walters has said his statements don't constitute libel or defamation and has cited multiple defenses, including those related to his First Amendment right to free speech. Gleason said in his filing Boismier 'made herself a public figure by participating in numerous interviews regarding her departure from Norman Public Schools and her opposition to HB 1775 and its implementation' and that she cannot prove Walters acted with 'actual malice.' Be the first to know: Sign up for breaking news email alerts Gleason also wrote that Walters' statements about Boismier were privileged, due to his status as a public official and that Walters is immune from liability under the Oklahoma Governmental Tort Claims Act, a law that allows people to sue state or local governments for the actions of their employees, but which also protects government employees from personal liability, unless they acted in bad faith. Gleason also wrote that statements of opinion cannot serve as the basis of a defamation lawsuit. Boismier also has a lawsuit pending against the Oklahoma State Board of Education, which is chaired by Walters, pending in Oklahoma County District Court. In that case, she's asked a state judge to reverse the board's decision to revoke her teaching license. She now lives in New York and works for the Brooklyn Public Library. Boismier's attorney, Brady Henderson, said the filing by Gleason didn't surprise him, but Henderson added he was still reviewing what had been filed before deciding what to do. "This really isn't a surprise," Henderson said. "I've seen it before. We just have to review it and see what to do from there." Henderson said Boismier's legal team recently lost a member — attorney Ryan Kiesel, who died last week — and they were regrouping. "There is a lot to review," he said. "Once we get that done we will have a better idea of where to go." Walters is, or has been, a defendant in at least 18 lawsuits filed in state and federal court since he became state superintendent in January 2023. He has lost one of those lawsuits and settled another, with the plaintiff that sued him receiving most of what it asked for in the lawsuit. Walters has an appeal pending in another case, a libel lawsuit filed by Bixby Public Schools Superintendent Rob Miller. Tulsa County District Judge Daman Cantrell ruled in December against a motion by Walters' attorneys to dismiss the suit, and the appeal to the Oklahoma Supreme Court concerns that decision. The Supreme Court hasn't yet ruled on the appeal, while the rest of the case proceeds in district court. In yet another case, one which resulted in a split ruling on Dec. 31, attorneys for a Moore student prevented by one of Walters' administrative rules from changing their pronouns in student records appealed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. In the ruling, Cleveland County District Judge Michael Tupper wrote that while the rule passed by the state Board of Education concerning student records was 'valid and enforceable,' the board violated the student's right to due process under both the Oklahoma Constitution and the Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act by 'failing to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard.' The student is appealing the portion of Tupper's ruling that said the state board's action in creating the administrative rule was proper. The student's attorneys wrote in their appeal that the board's actions were 'invalid because no statute authorizes or contemplates such regulation' and because the board violated the so-called 'separation of powers' legal doctrine by refusing to comply with a court order that mandated the change of the student's gender marker, among other reasons. That appeal is pending with the Supreme Court. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ryan Walters wants summary judgment in lawsuit filed by Norman teacher
