Ryan Walters (politician)

Ryan Walters
Walters speaking in 2023
15th Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2023
GovernorKevin Stitt
Preceded byJoy Hofmeister
Secretary of Education of Oklahoma
In office
September 2020 – April 11, 2023
GovernorKevin Stitt
Preceded byMichael Rogers
Succeeded byKatherine Curry
Personal details
Born (1985-05-23) May 23, 1985 (age 39)
McAlester, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKatie
Children4
EducationHarding University (BA)

Ryan Walters (born May 23, 1985) is an American politician who has served as the elected Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2023 and who served as the appointed Oklahoma Secretary of Education between September 2020 and April 2023.

A member of the Republican Party, he has been a vocal critic of critical race theory, LGBT students' rights, and teachers' unions in Oklahoma and has been described as "the state's top culture warrior".[1][2]

During his tenure, he has campaigned for the removal of Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist and supported the political organization Moms for Liberty, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has described as an "extremist" and "antigovernment" group.[3] Since February 2024, Walters has been criticized[4][5][6] for his appointment of Chaya Raichik to the Oklahoma Library Advisory Board,[7][8] and stances on transgender youth and students following his response to the death of Nex Benedict.[9] Walters has directed "that every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom."[10] In November 2024, Walters emailed Oklahoma public school leaders, requiring them to play their students and parents a video of Walters blaming the "radical left" and "woke teachers unions" for "attacking" religious liberty, then inviting students to join him in prayer over President-elect Donald Trump.[11]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NBC News was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference The 74 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference TW-1July2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Suter, Tara (February 29, 2024). "Hundreds of LGBTQ, Civil Rights Groups Call for Removal of Top Oklahoma Education Official Following Nex Benedict's Death". The Hill. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  5. ^ "Advocacy Groups Call for Removal of Okla. School Superintendent Following Nex Benedict's Death". People. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  6. ^ "350+ Leaders Call for Walters' Removal Following Nex Benedict's Death". Public Radio Tulsa. March 1, 2024. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "Oklahoma Superintendent Appoints Libs of TikTok Creator to State Library Committee". USA Today. January 23, 2024. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  8. ^ Murphy, Sean (January 24, 2024). "Oklahoma Superintendent Faces Blowback for Putting Libs of TikTok Creator on Library Panel". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  9. ^ Goodman, J. David; Sandoval, Edgar (February 23, 2024). "After Nonbinary Student's Death, Schools Chief Defends Restrictive Gender Policies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Humphrey, Spencer (November 15, 2024). "Walters orders public schools show students video of him speaking politically-charged opinions, praying for Donald Trump". KFOR-TV. Retrieved November 16, 2024.