Oklahoma: Ryan Walters vows to have a TPUSA chapter in every high school to honor Charlie Kirk
Oklahoma state school superintendent Ryan Walters has pledged to have a Turning Point USA chapter in every high school to stop “woke indoctrination” of kids.
Oklahoma state school superintendent Ryan Walters has pledged to have a Turning Point USA chapter in every high school to honor Charlie Kirk. Walters made the announcement in a video posted on social media on Tuesday, September 23, shortly before it was announced that he is set to resign from office with more than a year left in his term.
"I’m excited to announce today that every Oklahoma high school will have a Turning Point USA chapter," Walters said in the video. "We have seen the outpouring from parents, teachers and students that want to be engaged with the meaningful work going on at Turning Point. They want their young people to be engaged in a process that understands free speech, open engagement, dialogue about American greatness, a dialogue around American values."
"For far too long, we have seen radical leftists with the teachers unions dominate classrooms and push woke indoctrination on our kids. They fight parents’ rights. They push parents out of the classroom, and they lie to our kids about American history. What we’re going to continue to do is make sure our kids understand American greatness, engage in civic dialogue and have that open discussion. We will continue to do all that we can to make sure Oklahoma students have the best education possible,” he added.
Ryan Walters faces backlash
Walters’ announcement has drawn criticism, particularly from Democrats. "Listening to conservative radio host Chad Alexander. He says this is just another pathetic attempt by Walters to win over Republicans while tanking in the polls. Walters has zero power to enforce it and won’t investigate a thing," Oklahoma Democratic state Rep. Mickey Dollens wrote on X.
Tulsa Public Schools board member John Croisant, a 2026 Democratic congressional candidate, told KGOU in an interview that Tulsa Public Schools will not take part in "pushing political organizations within our schools." "And he can't make us," Croisant added. "Because that's not a part of accreditation."
Former DNC spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said on CNN, "I do not think that we should be forcing ideology on our children, especially in public schools. After the shooting of Gabby Giffords, we were not forcing ideology in Arizona about guns. After the Minnesota state legislator was killed and her husband was killed in their home by an anti-abortion activist, we weren’t going into Minnesota schools trying to promote abortion in those schools."
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On Wednesday, September 24, Walters said on ‘The Story with Martha MacCallum’ that Hinojosa’s comments were laughable. "These are the people that forced ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ on your kids. They force critical race theory on your kids. They force the most radical woke agenda in the country on your kids. The teachers unions and the Democratic Party did that," Walters said.
"Then when students and teachers say ‘we want a Turning Point chapter,’ that we have not seen anything like this before. We are excited and want to take the country back, and we want kids to think freely. We want them to understand American values. The unions and the Democrats cry foul. You have to be kidding me with this. We have never seen a Marxist ideology pushed on this like that party has for the last decade,” Walters further said, adding that his announcement coincided with parents and students’ requests for news chapters. He said he is working with Turning Point USA on the measure.
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Ryan Walters to resign
After resigning as Oklahoma state superintendent, Walters will be leading a conservative teacher organization, he told Fox News on Wednesday, September 24. Walters will become the CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a group that calls itself as an alternative to teacher unions. His campaign manager and senior adviser Matt Langston told Oklahoma Voice that he expects to resign in early October.
Walters said during a brief appearance on Fox News that he is “excited” to step down and move ahead with his new position. He explained that his goal is to “destroy the teachers unions.”
