OKPLAC Executive Board
On Tuesday Jan. 11, 2022, Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walters threw Oklahoma’s educators and district leaders under the bus. In a series of tweets, Walters complained about schools closing their doors due to the rapid spread of the latest COVID-19 Omicron variant.
The secretary’s comments were arrogant and detached from reality. In an interview since, he has doubled down on his position.
To suggest that administrators are not acting with ingenuity and grit during this crisis is absurd. Public school districts have been scrambling to do everything they can for their kids in the face of what is a true public health crisis.
Secretary Walters’ comments were not only rude and unhelpful, they also demonstrated a startling lack of leadership ability. This is a state cabinet member who responds to a crisis in our classrooms by slinging immature complaints on social media, instead of offering help and support like real leaders do.
No doubt parents are tired. So are our kids and our teachers. Turns out global pandemics are kind of exhausting – who knew?
But in the fog of our fatigue, OKPLAC still sees the hard work that happens in our public schools.
We see Oklahoma school administrators stepping up to cover classes and help with meals. We see teachers handling high student absences and covering for their sick colleagues. We see kids getting as much classroom learning time as possible, for as long as the school is safe to remain open.
We see you, educators. We see your courage. We see your tenacity. And we see your perseverance under an onslaught of unfair attacks.
Does Secretary Walters see you? It sure doesn’t seem like it. The only thing Secretary Walters appears to see is an opportunity to tear you down. Why? Maybe because he thinks that tearing educators down helps to lift his profile up. He is, after all, running for State Superintendent. Public school parents and supporters, please do your homework on all of the State Superintendent candidates.
Political appointees like Sec. Walters who can’t grasp their role and rise to the occasion in a crisis don’t deserve their leadership positions. Real leaders support, encourage, and inspire those they are charged with leading.
As Mr. Rogers said, when something bad happens, look for the helpers. We see all you helpers in our school buildings, and we thank you.