TULSA, Okla. — State Superintendent Ryan Walters is investigating teachers across dozens of Oklahoma schools over social media comments made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Four Tulsa-area school districts — Union, Tulsa, Jenks, and Broken Arrow — were notified of investigations into unnamed employees, according to Walters.
"Those teachers will no longer teach in the state of Oklahoma; we'll pull their certificates," Walters said.
The state superintendent announced the investigations over what he called social media comments calling for violence.
"No matter where you are on the political spectrum, you shouldn't be calling for assassinations of people you don't agree with," Walters said.
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Walters said his office is working with the districts to determine what they know about the alleged comments.
"We're right now working with the districts to figure out what exactly they know. Do you know if the teacher is working with them? Are they being open about what happened?" Walters said.
Union, Tulsa, Broken Arrow, and Jenks school districts confirmed they were notified by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, but said they don't have details on what or who to investigate.
Statement from Broken Arrow:
At this time, district officials are unaware of any such incidents as described in the email from the State Department of Education, and have no evidence of any employees posting inflammatory social media messages on their personal accounts. If the SDE or the author of the report has evidence that district officials should be aware of, providing that evidence will make possible a swift, thorough , and fair investigation of the matter.”
Statement from Tulsa Public Schools:
While we are working to understand more, Tulsa Public Schools welcomes the input and perspectives of all members of our community. Our focus remains on serving our students and families.
Walters cited a code of conduct from the OSDE that teachers sign as part of their contract.
Many Green Country districts also have policies saying employees should refrain from political comments in the classroom, and BAPS conduct says using personal social media during school hours is prohibited.
When asked about the legal basis for the investigation, Walters defended his authority.
"You sign a contract that says you're going to buy by the teacher code of conduct, and that's the whole reason that that is there. And the certificates all come through me, so I signed the certificates. So, we can dissolve the certificates, to pull the certificates, as we've done here in the state," Walters said.
However, the state board must vote to revoke certificates, not Walters alone.
Former OSDE board member and attorney Tim Gilpin questioned the legal basis for the investigation.
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"I'm not sure the state superintendent has much legal footing to challenge individual school districts," Gilpin said.
When asked if the investigation would have happened if it involved someone other than Kirk, Walters said it would have.
"Yes, yeah, absolutely. It is disgusting behavior to believe that because you disagree with someone, they should be assassinated. It shouldn't matter if you're a Republican, a Democrat, or an independent. That is a line way too far," Walters said.
2 News reached out to the board to see if they plan to suspend or revoke any teacher licenses, but has not heard back. The next board meeting is set for Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025.
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