State Board of Education Monthly Meeting: Updates On School Spending And DEI Programs

The State Board of Education held its monthly meeting Thursday.

The meeting began with public comment where both supporters and protestors took to the podium.

During the meeting, State Superintendent Ryan Walters discussed capacity issues and said he wants to make these meetings as accessible as possible.

Walters stated he’d support a motion to accreditation for Tulsa Public Schools in August. He claimed that the district is “one of the worst public schools in Oklahoma.”

He also said a moment of silence must be done in the classroom, and the department will require staff to have this checked each year.

After the meeting, Walters held a brief press conference to answer some questions about topics discussed in the meeting.

This meeting comes after previous tense gatherings, including June's meeting where an incident resulted in two people receiving criminal charges.

Walters has pushed state education leaders to look carefully at how schools are complying with state laws. That includes limitations on how teachers can discuss race in schools and a requirement that classrooms have a moment of silence.

Walters also asked the board to begin the process to require the Ten Commandments to be posted in classrooms along with new requirements for history classes.