Latest news with #HouseBill1775
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge rules for Ryan Walters in defamation lawsuit filed by former Norman teacher
A federal judge granted summary judgment for state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters Thursday in a defamation lawsuit filed by a former Norman Public Schools teacher. U.S. District Judge Bernard Jones in Oklahoma City ruled Summer Boismier's actions in protesting House Bill 1775 – an Oklahoma law that prohibits schools from covering certain concepts on race and gender – 'rendered her a 'limited-purpose' public figure' and that she did not demonstrate that a false statement Walters made about her being fired from her teaching job was made with 'actual malice,' a standard for defamation. 'The court does not suggest that Boismier or anyone else should be dissuaded from speaking loudly and passionately about causes in which they believe,' Jones wrote. 'She, like all others, is free to publicly disagree with this state's politicians, subject to the protections and limits of the First Amendment. But when one voluntarily steps out from the shadows of private life to speak on a matter of public controversy, the Supreme Court has made clear that the burden to prevail in a defamation action is a formidable one. And here, the court concludes that Boismier has not met it.' More: Teachers begin speaking out against Ryan Walters: 'You're putting students in jeopardy' A news release sent on letterhead of the taxpayer-funded Oklahoma State Department of Education touted the decision as a 'Victory for Parental Rights and Educational Integrity.' Walters leads the agency. 'We have sent a clear message that Oklahoma's schools will remain free from political indoctrination and that our children deserve an education that is focused on core academic values, not the promotion of controversial ideologies,' Walters said in the statement. Brady Henderson, an attorney for Boismier, told The Oklahoman that 'we will review the case and determine next steps soon.' The case had been set to go to trial in June before an attorney for Walters, David Gleason of Oklahoma City, filed the motion for summary judgment in February. 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. 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, who actually resigned from her teaching position. She said in her lawsuit she 'was a teacher rather than a politician or public figure' when those statements were published. Walters said his statements didn't constitute libel or defamation and cited multiple defenses, including those related to his First Amendment right to free speech. As superintendent, Walters moved to revoke Boismier's teaching license, going so far as to push the state Board of Education to ignore an administrative law judge's finding that the board failed to prove that Boismier broke any law. With encouragement from Walters, the board voted to revoke Boismier's license. She sued in Oklahoma County District Court, seeking a reversal of the board's decision, but there's been no movement in that case since last October. Boismier now lives in New York and works for the Brooklyn Public Library. Walters, a conservative firebrand, is or has been a defendant in at least 20 lawsuits since taking office in January 2023. He's now prevailed in two of them and lost two of them, with the others pending. Contributing: M. Scott Carter This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Judge rules for Ryan Walters in defamation suit filed by former teacher
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State auditor finds Tulsa Public Schools mismanaged money, lacked oversight
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The anticipated audit on Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) was finally released on Wednesday. It's been a long time coming, especially after the audit was supposed to be released two weeks ago. 'The audit is complete and the findings are significant, but you're not allowed to see it,' said State Auditor Cindy Byrd on February 11, 2025. Two weeks ago, State Auditor Cindy Byrd held a press conference to release an audit over Tulsa Public Schools. However, lawyers for the district delayed the release by using an Oklahoma law. Tulsa Public Schools files request for audit, denies allegations of misleading public That meant the audit was tucked away, until Wednesday, when State Auditor Byrd finally released the results. The audit and its findings date back to 2022 when Governor Stitt sent a letter to Byrd asking her to investigate TPS. 'At the request of two Tulsa school board members, today I am calling for a special audit of Tulsa Public Schools and the potential mishandling of public funds,' said Governor Stitt in July of 2022. The governor's letter to Byrd said TPS received millions in COVID relief, but schools were closed for 300 days, which is longer than any district in the state. He also requested that she look into concerns the district allegedly violated a law banning schools from teaching critical race theory. Wednesday's audit found that TPS got over $80 million in relief funding from 2020 to 2023, and their investigation uncovered the district did use the funds correctly. However, Byrd said questions still arose. 'The invoices TPS submitted for reimbursement through ESSER did not detail the services rendered, questioning costs totaling $4.9 million,' said Byrd. The other big question from the governor was the district's alleged violation of the state's critical race theory law. Byrd said her focus was on the financial review of schools, not what students were learning. 'There is evidence that the district did incur some expenditures from vendors of prohibited concepts after House Bill 1775 became effective,' said Byrd. Tulsa Public Schools responded to the audit's release. 'We've already, from the powerpoint presentation of the audit, we have submitted our questions and or wonderings and or inquiries and or artifacts to get the auditors office just to take a look at, and see if there could have been some misunderstanding there, or we need more clarity on some of these findings, we've already submitted, they've acknowledged they've received it, and we'll see what happens,' said Dr. Ebony Johnson, Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent. With the findings, State Auditor Byrd said she hopes TPS can re-vamp how they operate and properly track funds within the district. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tulsa school district invokes obscure law to avoid immediate release of state audit
An audit of Tulsa Public Schools more than two years in the making was set to be announced Tuesday, but State Auditor Cindy Byrd said the district has invoked an obscure state law that will prevent her from releasing the findings for up to 14 days. A noticeably agitated Byrd said the district notified her of its decision Tuesday morning. She said the district's decision is consistent with its 'pattern of behavior' ever since Gov. Kevin Stitt called for the audit in July 2022 and that the district has placed 'constant obstacles' in the path of her office as the audit has progressed. She said that's why it's taken so long to complete the audit. The statute cited by the district reads, 'Except for audits requested by a prosecutorial agency, the findings of an audit performed on any school district by any agency, or on behalf of or at the direction of any state agency, shall be discussed with the members of the board of education and the superintendent or a designee of the affected school district at least fourteen (14) days prior to the release of the audit to the public.' Byrd said in her 28 years of conducting government audits, 'including countless school districts, no one has ever invoked this statute – ever,' she said. 'The audit is complete and the findings are significant, but you're not allowed to see it,' Byrd said. The Tulsa school district, the largest in the state, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Stitt alleged, when calling for the audit, that the district was suspected of 'potential mishandling of public funds' and of violating House Bill 1775, a law that bans the teaching of certain racial and gender topics in Oklahoma classrooms. In 2022, the district reported it discovered suspicious expenses within its talent management department. An audit conducted then found its former chief talent and equity officer, Devin Fletcher, received more than $50,000 from vendors contracted with the school district and he authorized vendors to make similarly questionable payments to other Tulsa district employees, the Tulsa World reported. Fletcher was convicted and is serving time in federal prison. The Tulsa superintendent at the time, Deborah Gist, resigned in August 2023 and was succeeded by Ebony Johnson. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Tulsa Public Schools delays release of audit using obscure state law
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
