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Board members said images of nude women displayed on a television in Superintendent Ryan Walters’ office during a closed session of last week’s board of education meeting. The revelation set off a frenzy of news reports and social media posts.
Here’s what you need to know.
• Board members Becky Carson and Ryan Deatherage described the scenario to The Oklahoman and NonDoc. Deatherage recalled multiple nude women on the screen and some sort of chiropractic table; they described the footage as retro. They were the only two people in the room in a position to see the television screen. Carson stopped the meeting and told Walters turn it off, which he did.
• Lawmakers quickly responded. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, called for a transparent, third-party review of the situation. “This is a bizarre and troubling situation that raises serious questions,” said Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle.
• Walters denied responsibility for the TV and described the situation as a political attack in an interview with KOKH-TV and in a press conference at the Capitol. He called for the board members to resign and blamed the governor, who appoints the board.
• The Office of Management and Enterprise Services visited Walters’ office and examined the TV. The agency reported the TV had cable access, as Walters stated, but also connected to WiFi and other devices that could screen cast to the TV with a passcode. The TV belonged to a former Department of Education employee and was moved to the superintendent’s office this month. They found the search history empty.
• The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, and on Wednesday, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation joined, KWTV-TV reported. The station interviewed Carson, Deatherage and a third board member, Mike Tinney.
Questions, comments, story ideas? Please reach out via email.
— Jennifer Palmer
Recommended Reading
- An Oklahoma Supreme Court referee peppered an Oklahoma State Board of Education attorney with questions about the Open Meeting Act during a hearing in a lawsuit filed over new social studies standards backed by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters. [The Oklahoman]
- The Trump administration will release more than $5 billion in funding to public schools that it has withheld for nearly a month, a senior administration official said Friday, ending weeks of anxiety and uncertainty for school leaders who said the freeze jeopardized programs and staffing for the upcoming academic year. [The Washington Post]
- Middle school cheerleaders in rural east Tennessee made a TikTok video portraying a school shooting. They were charged with a crime. [ProPublica]
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