Oklahoma’s new plan to screen out-of-state teachers with a politically driven exam is not about education — it’s about control.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters has announced that teachers applying from New York and California will now be required to pass a special certification test designed by PragerU, a partisan media outlet that produces conservative videos on politics, gender, and American history.

Walters claims this test will keep “radical leftist ideology” out of Oklahoma classrooms. But critics — including educators, legal experts, and civil rights advocates — are calling it what it is: a MAGA loyalty test.

This policy doesn’t protect students. It punishes teachers based on where they’re from and what someone assumes they believe. It singles out applicants from blue states, imposes an ideological barrier to employment, and pushes a narrow political narrative into what should be a nonpartisan certification process.

It’s also a slap in the face to Oklahoma schools already facing a severe teacher shortage. Instead of recruiting qualified educators, this rule will drive them away — and send a message that political conformity matters more than classroom experience.

We are calling on the Oklahoma State Board of Education to reject the use of any third-party political test — including the PragerU assessment — in teacher certification!

Oklahoma lawmakers to pass legislation banning ideological litmus tests in public education hiring;
The U.S. Department of Education to investigate potential civil rights violations related to discrimination in employment certification.

Education should be about facts — not political loyalty.