American Oversight Demands Release of Oklahoma Education Department Records
American Oversight’s letter details several public records requests to which the agency has failed to adequately respond, including requests for the communications of State Superintendent Ryan Walters.
American Oversight today sent a letter to the Oklahoma State Department of Education demanding the release of multiple sets of public records requested over the past year that the agency has failed to adequately respond to, including communications with external entities.
The demand comes as several state Republican lawmakers have called for an impeachment investigation of State Superintendent Ryan Walters, including for his administration’s lack of responsiveness to public records requests.
Statement from American Oversight Interim Executive Director Chioma Chukwu:
“The people of Oklahoma have a right to know whether special or partisan interests have helped shape Superintendent Walters’ far-right attacks on public education. Walters’ administration’s failure to comply with the state’s Open Records Act shows an alarming disdain for all Oklahomans and accountability for those in government. We demand that the Department of Education release the records to which the public is entitled.”
Last month, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said his office was looking into potential “willful” violations of the state’s Open Meeting Act by the Walters-led State Board of Education after several lawmakers were blocked from attending board meetings.
Moreover, in a recent letter to Walters, Drummond also detailed the “alarming number of complaints” about the Department of Education’s failures to respond to public records requests. The letter noted that the department’s inaction in responding to the attorney general’s inquiries was “unacceptable.”
Under Oklahoma law, the Department of Education “must provide prompt, reasonable access to its records.” American Oversight’s letter to the department details eight public records requests filed with the agency since September 2023, all of which have gone unanswered or have received inadequate responses.
Among the records requested are:
- communications, including those of Superintendent Walters, with other state education agencies or with far-right education groups;
- documents related to reviews of curriculum for compliance with HB 1775, the law banning the teaching of certain race and gender-based concepts; and
- documents regarding personnel changes or internal dissent memos.