'It literally brought me to tears': Teachers react to OSDE 'awareness campaign' video
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH)- — Amid multiple federal funding allegations pointed at the State Department of Education, the agency is working to silence employees, sending out a threatening email that if someone leaks information to the media, they will be terminated.
At Thursday's State Board of Education meeting, State Superintendent Ryan Walters started out his update to the public with a more aggressive tone, scolding the media for looking into the allegations from lawmakers, former OSDE employees, and teachers' unions about a lack of applying for federal grant money.
"You all willingly printed articles with headlines that were lies and you knew they were lies," Supt. Walters said. "I will not be deterred. I will not be distracted by the lies of the teachers union, woke sellout legislators, and the media."
After berating local reporters, the Superintendent shared an email he said is from the U.S. Department of Education. The email clarifies the status of formula grants, which according to the Dept.'s website, do not need to be applied for.
"We have no indication that any of your formula funds are in jeopardy," Supt. Walters read from the email.
The email did not mention competitive grants though, which do need to be applied for, and are the target of many of the allegations.
Walters then shared what he called a public awareness campaign from the agency.
"We want to make sure that folks understand the positions of the teachers union," Supt. Walters said.
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The video was later removed from the OSDE website without reasoning, but the viewing brought emotions from many in the crowd, including Erika Wright, a frustrated parent who walked out of the meeting.
"What was put out by the State Department of Education today is going to get somebody hurt," Wright said. "It crossed the line."
WATCH THE FULL "AWARENESS CAMPAIGN" VIDEO SHOWN AT THE OSDE MEETING BELOW:
Teachers were also in shock, fearful of the meaning behind the video.
"It literally brought me to tears," Jami Cole, a Duncan school teacher said. "The only message that I saw from that is I'm coming for you teachers, and I felt threatened. I think that's the majority of teachers in that room, we all felt directly threatened."
The Oklahoma Education Association responded with a statement:
Oklahoma educators are exhausted from the constant barrage of attacks from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. He is supposed to be the leader of public education in the state, but consistently looks to manufacture division between educators and parents. It is important to respond to the video the Superintendent posted (and quickly removed)-- which was creatively edited and intentionally misrepresented OEA members. Not a single speaker of portion of the video portrayed anyone from the state of Oklahoma.
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