DOE targets schools for failure to honor Kirk

Molly Young and Alexia Aston

The Oklahoman USA TODAY NETWORK

State official: 12 districts under investigation

Oklahoma State Department of Education has launched investigations into 12 school districts after receiving reports that those districts either did not lower their flags or failed to hold a moment of silence to honor the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a spokesperson for the agency said. State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, who oversees the agency, ordered all public schools earlier this week to hold a moment of silence for Kirk, but several declined, saying they already hold moments of silence every morning for student reflection.

The list of those being investigated

includes six Oklahoma City-area schools — Deer Creek, Edmond, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Moore, Mustang and Norman — as well as four schools in and around Tulsa: Broken Arrow, Glenpool, Owasso and Tulsa, Madison Cercy, a spokeswoman for Walters, wrote in an email to The Oklahoman on Friday, Sept. 19.

Claremore and Lawton are the final two schools on the list, which Cercy said was not comprehensive.

The Oklahoman reached out to each school district on the list. Those who responded said they weren’t notified by OSDE of an investigation, including Mustang, Broken Arrow and Deer Creek.

Walters says his agency is also investigating dozens of Oklahoma teachers over reported remarks related to Kirk’s killing. He has pledged to ban every educator from public school classrooms who has made “defamatory or egregious comments” about Kirk in the wake of his death.

Cercy said she could not release the names of the teachers “due to the ongoing investigation.”

Investigators at the state education agency are “actively receiving and reviewing more information,” she said.

Superintendents of several districts named by Cercy have said they weren’t going to hold a standalone moment of silence for Kirk, because state law already requires schools to hold a daily moment of silence.

While Walters has vowed consequences for educators and districts who “displayed vile rhetoric” after Kirk’s death, he does not have the power to issue sanctions on his own. That authority goes to the State Board of Education, where he is one of seven members. Any disciplinary measures proposed by Walters would likely face pushback from a majority on the board.

Still, Walters has remained outspoken in the days since Kirk’s killing. He has touted how Oklahoma schools were honoring the slain political icon in a series of interviews on conservative news shows. He has described Kirk as a friend and champion of free speech and conservative values.

As co-founder of Turning Point USA, Kirk focused his messaging on teens and young adults. President Donald Trump credited him with bringing in scores of new Republican voters. But Kirk was also regarded by many as a polarizing figure and often attracted protests over his stances on gender and race.

In the wake of Kirk’s killing, Walters sent out a news release inviting people to use the state’s anonymous reporting platform to submit names of teachers who commented on Kirk’s death. He said Wednesday that callout generated more than 200 reports. Those reports have so far spurred investigations into 70 teachers who work for 44 districts, he said.

At least three Oklahoma teachers have also been targeted by conservative commentators on social media, who say they have linked the teachers to online comments made about Kirk’s killing.

The scrutiny is part of a growing wave of criticism leveled against people who have been accused of “glorifying” Kirk’s killing. In one of the most publicized cases, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show after his remarks in the aftermath of Kirk’s killing generated controversy. President Donald Trump cheered the move, which has sparked a national conversation on free speech.

Contributing: Staff writer Murray Evans