State Superintendent Ryan Walters, the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education are named in a lawsuit alleging state anti-bullying laws were not adequately enforced
The lawsuit was filed in Oklahoma County last week by a grandmother and guardian of two students formerly enrolled at Keys Public Schools in northeastern Oklahoma.
She alleged the district and local law enforcement did not appropriately respond to several instances of physical and verbal bullying, leading one of the students, a third-grader, to threaten suicide rather than return to school.
According to the suit, the grandmother filed a complaint last February with the state department about the district’s response. It took more than a year to resolve. The agency said it was a “local control” issue and closed it in May, 2024.
“Oklahoma is a local control state and as such, OSDE is unable to override the decisions of the local school district if it is a matter that is in district policy,” the agency said in an email to the plaintiff. “This includes how schools conduct investigations into bullying and the resolution of those situations.”
The lawsuit alleges the department was negligent in its responsibility to fully investigate the district’s compliance with the state’s Bullying Prevention Act, which prescribes a comprehensive process for districts to follow in bullying response and prevention.
A district found out of compliance with state law may be subject to a downgrade in accreditation status or revocation of staff teaching certificates.
According to the lawsuit, after the complaint was filed, its investigation was moved from the department’s accreditation division to its legal department, linked to the Awareity system. Awareity is a reporting system deployed by former State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister for community members to report concerns about school safety, bullying and other issues.
Lawyers for the plaintiff argue the department’s alleged lack of action and closing out of the case “appears to accomplish the operational objective of reducing the overall number of complaints sitting at that time in the Awareity system and thus reducing the investigator’s workload.”
“The fastest track to be able to claim operational success of Awareity and Superintendent Walters’ presumptive pro-parent administration would be to boast about the number of complaints resolved by OSDE,” the lawsuit reads. “The shortest way to accomplish that reduction would be to merely dismiss complaints as a local-control matter, forgo investigation and tell parents there is nothing more that OSDE can do.”
The lawsuit also alleges Walters’ “political distractions” hindered the investigation. Reporting by Oklahoma Watch and Fox 25 have detailed numerous media contracts and appearances geared at boosting Walters’ profile on the national conservative stage.
News coverage is regularly dominated by headline-garnering announcements, such as a classroom Bible mandate, the creation of an Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism and a mandate to show a video to students of Walters praying for President-Elect Donald Trump.
“Rather than administering OSDE programs, [Walters] has become the caretaker of routing out what he determines is politically incorrect using local and national media,” the filing said. “He therefore has prioritized creating a national media presence for himself to be able to speak to politically-charged ‘woke issues.’ His ‘anti-woke’ rhetorical campaign has distracted his attention away from his administrative responsibilities.”
The suit also cites a widespread talent drain at the department. During Walters’ tenure, at least 130 staffers have left or been fired. The plaintiff’s complaint was assigned to an investigator who left the department four months after it was filed. It took an additional four months for a new investigator to be assigned to the complaint.
“The evidence relating to Superintendent Walters’ dereliction of administrative duty is not limited solely to the high employee turnover and loss of critical senior management within OSDE,” the lawsuit said. “But includes evidence of where the Superintendent negligently committed his focus and OSDE resources during the 458 days during which the plaintiff’s complaint was pending, and the grandchildren were left needing relief.”
The department did not respond to a request for comment on the allegations.
Vol Woods, superintendent of Keys Public Schools, said in an email response to StateImpact the district “fully cooperated” with OSDE’s investigation, and the agency did not direct the district to take any actions.
“The district takes the safety and education of all students very seriously, and it has procedures in place to address student and parent concerns so as to provide a positive learning environment and quality education to all of its students,” Woods said.
The Cherokee Nation opens a new $7.3 million Nowata Head Start Center
Head Start is a federal program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services aimed at caring for children under five-years-old and introducing them to basic educational concepts early-on. The Cherokee Nation’s new 9,300-square-foot center will provide early childhood education, health and nutrition to low-income families across the reservation through its state-of-the-art facilities.
The Head Start facility is part of the Cherokee Nation’s long-standing efforts to improve childcare across the reservation under the Verna D. Thompson Early Childhood Education Act.
Earlier this year, the tribe reauthorized the legislation and doubled its original investment to $80 million to replace and upgrade already existing facilities.
Currently, the tribe takes care of nearly 900 children through its Head Start programs.
“Our work with the federal Head Start program has improved the education, health and general welfare of thousands of Cherokee families across the reservation for decades,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “This investment coupled with our ongoing work to provide more quality, affordable childcare across the reservation helps ensure our youngest of Cherokees who rely on us for early learning have all the tools they need to continue thriving.”
Oklahoma currently faces a childcare shortage due to licensing issues and rising costs. In rural areas of the state, child care deserts are common and families face limited options and waitlists for Head Start programs.
Triple A estimates an increase in travel this Thanksgiving
If you’re planning to travel for your turkey dinner, you might be hitting some red lights. Triple A estimates more than six hundred ninety-seven thousand Oklahomans will be traveling. 91 percent of Oklahoma travelers will be driving to their destinations. According to AAA, the roads will be extra busy this holiday.
“Tuesday and Wednesday will be the busiest days on the roads for people leaving and then certainly coming back on Sunday and even Monday,” said Triple A’s Shawn Steward. “We expect the highways to be fairly busy.”
Triple A is sharing tips for those traveling, like avoiding rush hour in larger cities, servicing and inspecting your car. And if you’re flying, be sure to arrive early to the airport and download your airline’s app.
The OKC Thunder kick off a series of away games with a victory
Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 37 points in last night's 130 to 109 win over the Sacramento Kings.
With a record of 13-4, Oklahoma City has three more games on the road before returning home next Tuesday.
The Thunder play the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night. Game time is 9pm CT.
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