Happening now: Tearful plea from parent of 3 at OK Dept. of Education: “To you, Ryan Walters, I’m here to beg for the safety of my children…change the words you choose… because currently they are vitriolic, dishonest and dangerous…” (thread)
A line of speakers are waiting for their turn. This is streaming on Facebook page of OK Dept. of Education. facebook.com/OklaSDE/videos…
President of OCPAC, Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee Bob Linn praises Ryan Walters, and discusses Voltaire and attacks on Christianity. "On behalf of the vast majority of Oklahomans, I want to thank you... for returning sanity to education."
Parents brings stack of books by Bob Goff, and talks about Micah 6:8:
"I'm a Republican, not that that matters, I'm not a leftist crazy person, I don't hate Catholics, but yet you (Ryan Walters) attacked me just for disagreeing with your opinion."
Joy Howell says "I know Mr. Walters and he does not speak rudely. He loves children and he loves teachers and he loves parents."
Howell says "Marxism is at the root of all of this" criticism. Also... "If there is any sex education that needs to be done in school, it should be abstinence."
I missed this gentleman's name-- he's discussing China eclipsing USA on math and reading, and Oklahoma's lack of proficiency in these areas.
Julie Collier is a parent who recently moved to OK from California and says her children's teachers are amazing. She doesn't think students should have to take the ACT as part of testing. Thanking Walters for educating and "not indoctrinating" students.
Parent Sandra Valentine: "April 19th, complete silence is broken by an F-2 Tornado... you (Walters) showed up 9 days later." She talks about traumatized kids having to be bused for testing after this. "we are fed this notion that kids are failing... letter grades are a scam"
Librarian Melanie from Putnam's Capps Middle School: "Being in the middle of this fight is... demoralizing." "I am a conservative Republican, and I want kids to read... I want to leave my contact information so you can visit and see what I do."
James Hall from OKC: "Love is sex, sex is love, maybe not.... positive giving between two persons is love. Porn is harmful, destructive."
"Porn is the opposite of keeping fire in the fireplace."
Quotes King Solomon and Plato and discusses intercourse.
Jay Hall.... (not James)
Tierny Gardener: She says she's forced to compare career options in education vs Walmart, and encourages a renewed focus on OK students and their needs.
Public school teacher with a Muslim background & Catholic education: "We also have the right & responsibility to advocate for every single child that walks through the door."
"When you break our hearts by telling us we have to dehumanize children, we will not stand for that."
Kit Fairchild: "Stuck in campaign mode is what I see."
He decries disparagement of teachers by calling them terrorists or Marxists.... calling them "boogeyman words."
"We live in one of the most corrupt states in the nation."
Gary Holt (not sure on last name) : Discusses a teacher that he believes hurt his daughter, who fled to Texas, and is now back teaching in OK.
"This rhetoric of indoctrination is not happening."
Susan Whitehorse Johnson speaks about OK teachers as caring, with a strong faith in the system working for the best of students."
Walters discusses teacher recruitment, and says Texas is jealous that we're attracting their educators.
"God gave kids to parents, and not the government."
"This agency will do all we can to ensure parents to choose..."
"I want to address lies going on in the press..."
"We have a teachers union that has intentionally lied... they found lawmaker Mark McBride that parrots their lies."
Discusses grants, and says they're all on track and the press "willingly printed lies" and "when you intentionally report lies, you're an enemy of taxpayers."
"I will not be deterred by... woke, sell-out legislators"
Working to get a video from Fox News to play...
It helps if you can read backwards... quickly... no audio yet, at least on Facebook stream.
Moving on to minutes, and discussion on Aviation Academy in Norman, and the FAA's offer to lend schools materials for flight school education.
I'll dip out of live-tweeting now.
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OU's President issues a letter to students concerning Gov. Stitt's executive order to review all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion state spending at state agencies & public colleges in Oklahoma. Harroz refers to OU's "unwavering" values that "transcend political ideology... " 🧵
OK could follow Florida and Texas, who've banned DEI spending in PUBLIC colleges. DEI policies are routinely highlighted on the websites of PRIVATE colleges & businesses including Gateway First Bank, part-owned but not controlled by Stitt Family Trust.🧵 shorturl.at/JMOU0
Previously, the State Regents have highlighted the concerns about accreditation linked to DEI training. When @Adria_Goins asked the Governor about that today he said "We'll cross that bridge when it comes." 🧵
"We squandered money and we awarded money to powerful people that are connected to powerful people," says Attorney General Gentner Drummond about the OK State Audit that found millions in fed. dollars for education were misspent.(1/5)
Stitt & Walters say third-party vendor "Class Wallet" is to blame for missteps in distributing millions of Governor's Emergency Education Relief funds (GEER) with some blown on non-education items like TVs & grills. Drummond says 27 other states didn't have that issue. (2/5)
"We had NOT ONE speedbump between reckless spending and federal dollars," says Drummond. He says Oklahoma's most vulnerable children without "connections" are further behind. "I think that it was just another nail in the coffin of public education" (3/5)
WITHIN AN HOUR of finding out he is the acting Governor of Oklahoma, Senator Greg Treat signed an Emergency Declaration for Eastern Oklahoma. This will help with various recovery efforts and trigger the Emergency Price Stabilization Act to prevent price gouging. @kfor
Treat makes the point in his presser: "He began reviewing the documents the governor’s office prepared at 1:40 p.m. and signed it before 2 p.m. – prior to the governor’s press release calling on the pro tem to sign the state of emergency."
Treat adds: "This action will relax laws and regulations on the shipping of goods for emergency use, allow agencies to have more purchasing powers, among other measures in order to bring much-needed relief. "
First images from @kfor chopper 4. First reports are of one person transported for medical care, but possibly two injured.This plant refines fuels including aviation fuel and bio-diesel fuel.
CVR Energy says a fire occurred in a gasoline hydrotreater which removes sulfur and other contaminants in the refining process. 2 employees were injured and transported, but no update on their conditions. This update: by David Johnson, Dir. of Emergency Management, Garvin County.
"You gotta teach everybody on how to include everybody? That's horse shit" says Rep. JJ Humphrey who along with Rep. Standridge, are proposing Senate Concurrent Resolution 12. It directs OK Universities to immediately discontinue and disband their DEI programs in whole. (1/5)
Gov. Stitt admits "people are going to be idiots" (referencing racial incidents on OK campuses that have made national headlines) but says he can't see why you'd use "tax dollars to try to educate...18-year-olds." He supports banning Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs (2/5)
It might appear there is a lot being spent on these programs and faculty. In fact, DEI programs account for 1/10th of one percent of higher education funding in past decade, according to a survey by the OK Chancellor of Higher Education. (3/5) kfor.com/news/local/gov…