Ryan Walters Resigns Oklahoma Education Post to Lead Anti-Union Group
Oklahoma's top public schools official, Ryan Walters, resigned to lead a conservative educators' group. His new mission: "destroying" teachers' unions nationwide and establishing Turning Point USA chapters.
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Overview
- Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's top public schools official, has resigned from his state position. His departure follows a tenure marked by infusing culture-war politics and religion into classroom instruction.
- Walters is now set to lead the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a conservative educators' group. This new role aligns with his stated goal of "destroying" teachers' unions nationwide.
- The Teacher Freedom Alliance plans to build an "army of teachers" to defeat unions and establish Turning Point USA chapters in every high school across the nation.
- During his time as superintendent, Walters made headlines for controversial actions, including ordering schools to incorporate the Bible into the curriculum.
- He also faced scrutiny for investigating an alleged incident at a state Board of Education meeting and frequently clashed with board members.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Ryan Walters' resignation by emphasizing his controversial policies and linking them to negative outcomes. They highlight his 'culture-war politics,' efforts to 'infuse religion,' and attempts to 'promote conspiracies,' immediately connecting these actions to lawsuits and declining state education rankings. The article selectively quotes a critical Republican official, reinforcing a narrative of a problematic tenure.
"Walters has leaned into culture-war politics and sought to infuse religion into classroom instruction, including a mandate that public schoolteachers incorporate the Bible into lesson plans for children in grades 5 though 12."
Associated Press"Walters generated controversy for ordering schools to include the Bible in the curriculum and pushing to require that families prove their U.S. citizenship in order to enroll their children in public schools."
NBC NewsArticles (4)
FAQ
Ryan Walters resigned to lead the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a conservative educators' group focused on opposing teachers' unions and establishing Turning Point USA chapters in high schools nationwide.
During his tenure, Walters infused culture-war politics and religion into classroom instruction, including ordering schools to incorporate the Bible into the curriculum, and investigated incidents at state Board of Education meetings, often clashing with board members.
The Teacher Freedom Alliance is a conservative educators' group aiming to 'destroy' teachers' unions nationwide by building an 'army of teachers' and establishing Turning Point USA chapters in every high school across the United States.
Ryan Walters taught high school history for eight years, was a 2016 Teacher of the Year finalist, and served as Oklahoma's Secretary of Public Education before becoming state superintendent.
Walters strongly aligned with conservative and pro-Trump positions, emphasizing religious themes in schools and opposing progressive policies, which shaped his culture-war approach to education in Oklahoma.
History
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