Oklahoma’s public schools are under attack — not by budget cuts or test scores, but by the state’s top education official himself.

Superintendent Ryan Walters has announced a plan to mandate Turning Point USA chapters in every high school across the state. Turning Point is a far-right political group known for harassing progressive educators, tracking “left-wing” teachers through watchlists, and promoting deeply divisive rhetoric — including racist, anti-immigrant, and anti-LGBTQ+ views. It has no place in a nonpartisan public school system.

Even worse, Walters is threatening to revoke accreditation from schools that don’t comply. That’s not education policy, it’s political blackmail. Public schools should be centers for learning, not tools for enforcing one man’s ideological agenda.

This is part of a broader pattern. Walters has tried to force teachers from “liberal” states to pass a political loyalty test. He’s pushed religious content into classrooms, tried to create a publicly funded Catholic charter school, and even investigated teachers who criticized Charlie Kirk after his death.

Our schools are already struggling. Oklahoma ranks near the bottom in national education outcomes. Instead of supporting teachers and investing in students, Walters is spending time and taxpayer dollars playing political games.

We must say no to this abuse of power.

We call on the Oklahoma State Board of Education, local school boards, and elected lawmakers to stop this forced political indoctrination. Schools should be places of dialogue, diversity, and discovery — not propaganda pipelines for far-right movements.

Sign now to stand with Oklahoma students, parents, and educators.

Photo: Daniel Shular/Tulsa World via AP