July Editorial Winner

Dial Back Rhetoric on Books at Schools

By Kim Poindexter, Tahlequah Daily Press

Many reasonable Cherokee County folks in both the conservative and progressive camps are getting tired of dog whistles, red herrings, overblown outrage, and buzz words used to whip the “base” into a frenzy. And the guilty parties come from the extreme bases of both parties.

This week, Ryan Walters, the state secretary of education angling to become Oklahoma’s next superintendent of public instruction, waded in with an attack on Tulsa Public Schools that strikes many casual observers as a bit disingenous. He’s the latest in a string of crusaders railing against Tulsa Superintendent Deborah Gist, and employing the epithets of “woke” and “leftist” to demonize her, the board of education, the teachers, and by extension, the students.

Walters found evidence for his stump on TikTok – which is laughable in terms of credibility – that proved Tulsa schools are engaging in “liberal indoctrination” of students. Ironically – and some would argue, hypocritically – Walters posted his proof on Facebook, which temporarily blocked him for uploading content that violated its terms of service. Facebook, for adhereing to its policies to eschew porn, was taken to task by Walters’ followers. These sanctimonious individuals were offended not by the images, but by punitive action against Walters for posting them. It’s apparently OK for kids to be exposed to smut on TikTok, as long as it’s being used for political gain.

The account from which Walters gleaned the material offered images from the books “Gender Queer” and “Flamer.” A search by the Tulsa World revealed only one campus had the books, and even then, only one copy could be found. Nevertheless, Walters tarred all campuses with the same prevaricating brush. Those who read his screed without context – and context is rarely provided by politicians – might be tempted to suspect teachers were in-discriminately handing out the tomes, along with packets of condoms.

“This is disgusting. It must end!” Walters raged. “It’s a sad day when woke Facebook has higher standards than Deborah Gist at Tulsa Public Schools. It is unbelievable that they are allowing this type of inappropriate sexual material in their library. I’m not going to stand for it. We’ve got inappropriate sexual material being targeted to kids at Tulsa Public Schools, and this liberal indoctrination has to stop.”

What has to stop is the knot in Walters’ drawers.

TDP staffers viewed the material before it was scrubbed, and he’s correct that some images could be deemed pornographic. But he could’ve merely said so, urging Gist to work with administrators to ensure books are age-appropriate. Or he could’ve taken the calm yet firm approach of current Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, who said the material was “inappropriate” and didn’t belong in school libraries, and: “Parents have the right to review what books are available in their children’s schools, and to direct what their children have access to.” She did not resort to hysteria in a bid for votes.

The books have roots in the LGBTQ community, and those casual observers could be forgiven for wondering if that – rather than the images – are Walters’ true target. If so, he needs to realize that no matter what he says or does, queer folks are here to stay, and they deserve the same liberties as everyone else. But it goes without saying that they must also abide by the same rules as everyone else.

Walters should employ discernment before he makes excited utterances, and he should stop speaking for educators and parents. After all, he’s supposed to serve them, not the other way around. If he doesn’t dial it back, voters may decide they  “won’t stand” for him.