This article was originally delivered to subscribers of our Education Watch newsletter. Sign up now to receive Education Watch directly in your inbox.
Former Oklahoma educator Summer Boismier filed a new lawsuit in federal court last week over the state’s revocation of her teaching credentials.
In 2022, Boismier drew the ire of Ryan Walters, then secretary of education, for her classroom protest of House Bill 1775. Boismier hung paper over the bookshelves in her Norman High School English classroom and wrote “books the state doesn’t want you to read.” She also posted a QR code to the Brooklyn library.
Last year, against an administrative law judge’s advice, the Oklahoma Board of Education and Walters revoked her teaching certificate. Now, she’s suing the state Education Department, Board of Education, Walters and five former board members.
In court filings, Boismier claims the board discriminated against her based on sex and race for her advocacy of marginalized people, and violated her rights to free speech and due process, among other claims.
Boismier resigned from teaching in 2022 and relocated to New York, but has since moved back to Oklahoma, the filing states. She has a pending lawsuit seeking to reinstate her teaching license in Oklahoma County. A federal judge dismissed her defamation lawsuit against Walters earlier this year.
Questions, comments, story ideas? Please reach out via email.
— Jennifer Palmer
Recommended Reading
- A group of immigrant students in Oklahoma, represented by a Latino civil rights group, is seeking to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that they cannot pay in-state tuition anymore. [Oklahoma Voice]
- New records obtained by News 4 reveal fresh concerns about former State Superintendent Ryan Walters, including a taxpayer-funded bonus to his press secretary who now works with him at an activist group, taxpayer-funded travel to events hosted by that same group, and behind-the-scenes videos of Walters promoting a specific Bible brand he later sought to place in public schools. [KFOR]
- In its quest to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, the Trump administration wants to let states police themselves when it comes to educating students with disabilities, a move many teachers and parents fear will strip away crucial federal oversight and deny vulnerable children the services they’re guaranteed under law. [Oklahoma Voice]
Help Us Make a Difference
Oklahoma needs high-quality investigative journalism. That is our mission at Oklahoma Watch. We produce stories that hold government and public officials accountable and that make transparent what some prefer to keep secret. We depend on financial support from readers like you to sustain our coverage. Help us make a difference.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
