FEARLESS LEADER RYAN WALTERS SAY TO WORK AT OSDE YOU GOTTA BE MAGA
Fearless Leader Ryan Walters, AKA Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Education, has demanded that all job applicants take a loyalty oath to support his policies. Yes, you read that right. A loyalty oath. In 2023.
Now, I don't know about you, but the last time I heard about a loyalty oath was in some dystopian novel where the government had taken over and was forcing its citizens to swear allegiance to the regime. But apparently, this is now a thing in Oklahoma.
According to reports, job applicants are being asked if they support Superintendent Walters and his initiatives. But when asked to clarify what those initiatives are, the applicants are left scratching their heads. Because apparently, even the people who work for the guy don't know what his policies are.
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| OSDE applicant pre-screening questions. Photo courtesy: Michelle Strain. |
One applicant was quoted as saying, "We haven't been allowed to do social emotional learning here or talk about it really. We've had to remove it from our presentations, our digital resources." Is this appropriate? Is this legal? Who knows? But it's definitely not funny.
So let's take a moment to appreciate the sheer audacity of Fearless Leader Ryan Walters. He's demanding loyalty from his employees without even telling them what they're being loyal to. It's like asking someone to swear allegiance to a blank sheet of paper.
But fear not, my fellow Oklahomans. I have a plan. We should all show up at the next job interview with a loyalty oath of our own. It would go something like this:
"I pledge my undying allegiance to the great state of Oklahoma and its people. I promise to always put their needs first, to work tirelessly for their betterment, and to never ask them to swear loyalty to me without first telling them what they're swearing loyalty to. So help me God."
Boom. Problem solved. We can all go back to our jobs knowing that we're not blindly following some politician's whims without knowing what they are.
In all seriousness though, this is a troubling trend that we're seeing across the country. Politicians are demanding loyalty from their employees and constituents without giving them any reason to be loyal in the first place. It's a slippery slope that can lead to some very dark places.
So let's all take a stand against this kind of behavior. Let's demand transparency and accountability from our elected officials. And let's never forget that our loyalty should always be to the people we serve, not the other way around.
OSDE allegedly asks applicants political, loyalty based questions in pre-screening interview https://kfor.com/news/local/osde-allegedly-asks-applicants-political-loyalty-based-questions-in-pre-screening-interview/
Oklahoma Students Explain The Tulsa Race Massacre https://www.theonion.com/oklahoma-students-explain-the-tulsa-race-massacre-1850632258
THE DEFT DIVE
Some information about Ryan Walters, the current Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Here are some facts I found from my web search:
- - Ryan Walters was born on May 23, 1985 in McAlester, Oklahoma².
- - He has a BA degree from Harding University and taught history at McAlester High School for eight years¹².
- - He was a finalist for the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year in 2016 and served on various state commissions related to education².
- - He was the executive director of Oklahoma Achieves and Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, two nonprofit organizations that advocated for school choice and parental involvement in education²³.
- - He was appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt as the Secretary of Education of Oklahoma in September 2020 and served until April 2023² .
- - He was elected as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in November 2022, defeating Democrat Jena Nelson with 57% of the vote³⁴.
- - He supports school choice, funding students instead of systems, and fighting against "left-wing indoctrination" in schools³⁴.
Some of the controversies and scandals that have been reported since he was appointed are:
- - A federal audit found that the Bridge the Gap program that he oversaw as Secretary of Education had few safeguards to prevent fraud or abuse and that COVID-19 relief money was distributed through the program without proper oversight.
- - House Democrats called for his resignation over the audit findings, but Governor Stitt defended him and praised his work.
- - It was revealed that he remained the executive director of Every Kid Counts Oklahoma while serving as Secretary of Education and received a higher salary from the nonprofit than from the state. The nonprofit was funded by national groups that supported school privatization and charter school expansion, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.
Bing, 7/13/2023
(1) Ryan Walters (politician) - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Walters_%28politician%29.
(2) State Superintendent of Public Instruction - Ryan Walters. https://sde.ok.gov/superintendent-public-instruction-ryan-walters.
(3) Ryan Walters elected as Oklahoma's next schools superintendent. https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/elections/state/2022/11/09/ryan-walters-beat-jena-nelson-to-take-oklahoma-schools-superintendent/69611621007/.
(4) Election 2022: Ryan Walters wins race for State Superintendent. https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/election-2022-jena-nelson-ryan-walters-race-for-state-superintendent.
Some of his supporters are:
- - Governor Kevin Stitt, who appointed him as Secretary of Education and endorsed him for State Superintendent¹.
- - The Republican Party of Oklahoma, which nominated him as their candidate for State Superintendent and praised his victory².
- - The State Chamber of Oklahoma, which hired him as the executive director of Oklahoma Achieves and supported his school choice agenda³.
- - The Walton Family Foundation and other national groups that funded Every Kid Counts Oklahoma and advocated for school privatization and charter school expansion⁴.
Some of his critics are:
- - House Democrats, who called for his resignation over the federal audit of the Bridge the Gap program and accused him of mismanaging federal funds.
- - The Oklahoma Education Association, which represents public school teachers and opposed his stance on House Bill 1775, which bans teaching certain concepts about race and gender.
- - The Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, which condemned his comments about the Tulsa Race Massacre and said they were "inaccurate and insensitive".
- - Educators and parents who expressed frustration with his "dangerous" rhetoric and his promotion of a video that claimed public schools were indoctrinating students with leftist ideology.
Bing, 7/13/2023
(1) Ryan Walters hits back at critics, says his comments about Tulsa Race .... https://news.yahoo.com/ryan-walters-hits-back-critics-035500453.html.
(2) We fact-checked Ryan Walters on misspent federal money and more claims .... https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/we-fact-checked-ryan-walters-on-misspent-federal-money-and-more-claims/.
(3) Superintendent Ryan Walters resigns from pro-school choice nonprofit. https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/government/2023/01/09/superintendent-ryan-walters-resigns-from-pro-school-choice-nonprofit/69791290007/.
(4) Educators, parents frustrated w/Superintendent Walters’ “dangerous .... https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/video-shown-by-ryan-walters-at-boe-meeting-garners-backlash.