A Former Norman Teacher's Certification Revoked
Two years after former Norman teacher shared a QR code to a banned book library with students, the State Board of Education revoked her teaching certificate. Teacher Summer Boismier says the fight isn’t over yet.
At Thursday’s board meeting, State Superintendent Ryan Walters explained the board’s decision to pull Boismier’s certificate.
"Well, she broke the law, you know. And I said from the beginning, when you have a teacher that breaks the law, says she broke the law, says she’ll continue to break the law, that can’t stand," Walters said.
That’s despite a state department hearing officer investigating her case and recommending a year ago NOT to revoke her certificate. But Boismier says her battle with Walters and the board is going to continue.
"I see this as a much larger fight, you know, beyond just me versus him or me versus them, kind of situation. So what our next steps would be, essentially, is to move this fight from the classroom to the courtroom," Boismier said.
She doesn’t have a timeline yet for filing, but hopes to move forward with a judicial review soon.
Journalists' Society Condemns State Department of Education for Barring Reporter from Press Conference
The Society of Professional Journalists is condemning the Oklahoma State Department of Education for barring a television reporter from a press conference last week.
The organization says State Department spokesman Dan Isett erred by barring KFOR-TV reporter Dylan Brown from attending the media briefing.
Isett blocked the TV reporter after state superintendent Ryan Walters berated the media for reporting falsehoods without evidence during a state board of education meeting.
Walters has earned a reputation as a provocateur for various stunts, including car selfie videos, calling for his own impeachment and posting videos of himself dancing in a Make America Great Again hat at the Republican National Convention last month.
The professional journalists' group says the move to bar the reporter and photographer from a credentialed media organization is a "blatant violation of press freedom by a government agency."
State Department of Health Celebrates Community Health Workers
The Oklahoma State Department of Health is celebrating community health workers this week, which are professionals who help link people to health care and social services.
According to the department, community health workers have helped improve thousands of Oklahomans’ mental and physical health.
Misty Wilson is one of 52 community health workers in Oklahoma, and she says she got her start after spending 30 years working in restaurants. As a frontline worker in her community, Wilson says she enjoys connecting her neighbors in need to resources like SNAP, Medicaid and food pantries.
“It’s nice for someone to come in and they're downtrodden and stuff, and you're able to take a little burden off their shoulders and give them a little glimpse of hope, sometimes,” said Wilson.
Community Health Worker Awareness Week is from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1. Oklahomans can connect with a community health worker by calling their local health department.
NWS Norman Hosts Webinar on Storm Chasing Amid Surge in Interest
The National Weather Service in Norman is offering a webinar on storm chasing later this week. This comes as interest in the activity has increased following the blockbuster hit Twisters.
The Weather Service says since the movie came out they’ve been fielding a lot of questions from those interested in storm chasing and storm spotting. And because of the surge in interest, the weather service is offering a webinar.
The webinar will dig into how the movie portrays weather and science compared to how it works in real life.
Attendees will get to learn basic information on how to observe storms safely and how to stay safe when real-life twisters threaten.
The webinar is free, but registration is required.
The event will be Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
A link to register and more information can be found here.
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