Ryan Walters Faces Another Public Meeting Thursday as Oklahomans Prepare to Demand Answers on Abuses of Power and Mismanagement of Funds

OKLAHOMA CITY-As advocates, educators, students, and parents prepare for another contentious Board of Education meeting at the Oklahoma State Capitol complex on Thursday, Ryan Walters is leading a dwindling department with increasing resignations, questions on mismanagement of funds, and failing educational policies and a neglected focus Oklahoma's youth.

As a reminder: Walters's last state board meeting was an unmitigated disaster.

• The night before the meeting, his staff used ties and electrical cords to lock the OSDE front doors in a desperate attempt to deter members of the public from waiting outside to get into the meeting.

• Still, all ten speakers during the meeting used their time to call out Ryan Walters for his failure to protect the state's LGBTQ+ students and keep Oklahoma schools safe.

• It appeared as if the department didn't have any lawyers left on staff at the meeting.

• Walters refused to answer questions after the meeting from reporters, a break from precedent.

• The following day, Walters pulled out of an event hosted by a conservative group at Oklahoma State University.

But things have only gotten worse for Walters since that time:

• As April began, Oklahomans turned out in their local elections - and rejected Walters-allied school board candidates handily in Tulsa.

• The sheer number of resignations at OSDE has started to come into focus: More than 130 people have resigned since Walters took office, with as many as 60 of those coming since last July.

• In a jaw-dropping interview, former OSDE employee Pamela Smith-Gordon, who describes herself as a conservative Republican, detailed that an absent Walters and massive mismanagement at the department resulted in millions of dollars of lost funding for Oklahoma schools.

• Last week, Walters appeared before a friendly crowd - or so he thought - at a Turning Points USA-sponsored event at Oklahoma State University. Rather than softball questions about his one-man culture war, students at OSU demanded he break his silence on key issues facing the Oklahoma State Department of Education - including his staff exodus, his mishandling of grants, and the iron fist with which he runs Board of Education meetings.

• Walters's mishandling of Oklahoma schools hits particularly close to home to Marley H., an Owasso High School graduate, who shared her story with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in a video ad launched last week. Marley describes harrowing interactions with trusted adults who failed to promote a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ students, and talks about the culture of bullying and harassment that pervades schools under Walters' watch.

• Instead of focusing his efforts on repairing his failing department, Walters instead turned to the right-wing echo chamber that is Fox News, placing a heinous op-ed in which he sought to divert blame for the death of 16-year-old nonbinary Owasso High School student Nex Benedict, whose death galvanized LGBTQ+ people and allies across the country.

• Friday brought more revelations as HRC released a new report, "Ryan Walters on X: A Platform for Hate, Ignorance, and Self-Indulgence." A survey of his activity on X (formerly Twitter) showed more than 4 times in every 10 posts, he promotes his media appearances, including op-eds and interviews with right wing media - possibly even secured with the help of PR firms paid for by Oklahoma taxpayers. Many of the remainder of his posts are dedicated to attacking members of the LGBTQ+ community, denigrating teachers' unions, or complaining about the U.S. Department of Education.

Will Walters finally address the many outstanding questions from Oklahomans on his mismanagement of taxpayer dollars, OSDE's staff exodus, lost federal grant money, divisive rhetoric, and more during Thursday's board meeting? Will he talk to reporters after the meeting, or once again run from their inquiries? We are not holding our breaths.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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