Summer Boismier was a teacher at Norman High School who drew flak for covering some books in her classroom with the message "Books the state doesn't want you to read." Apparently even worse, she posted the QR code for the Brooklyn Public Libraries new eCard for teens program, which allows teens from all over the country to check out books, no matter how repressive or restrictive state or local rules they may live under.
She was suspended by the district, which said that this was about her "personal political statements" and a "political display" in the classroom. Boismier told The Gothamist
I saw this as an opportunity for my kids who were seeing their stories hidden to skirt that directive. Nowhere in my directives did it say we can't put a QR code on a wall.
But Oklahoma school districts are on edge since the state Board of Education downgraded two districts' accreditations for allegedly violating the law (a policy that the governor just applauded). Never mind that this is a policy that just makes it harder for teachers to do their jobs.
The district's suspension was brief, but rather than report back to work, Boismier resigned. As the Washington Post reported
She recognized the school district was in a tight spot and said she placed most of the blame on Oklahoma Republicans for fomenting what she described as a growing culture of fear, confusion and uncertainty in schools.
Amid that climate, Boismier said, she doesn’t feel like she has a place in an Oklahoma classroom.
None of that was enough for Walters. The events surrounding Boismier attracted plenty of attention, and so, Candidate Walters popped up to put his two cents in via a letter that he posted on Twitter.
In the letter, he called for Summer Boismier (he called her out by name) to have her teaching license revoked. "Ms. Boismier's providing access to banned and pornographic material is unacceptable."
The letter also includes this line:
There is no place for a teacher with a liberal political agenda in the classroom.
Walters, who once wrote "I will continue to teach my students the United States is the greatest nation in the world," is at least honest in saying that it's the liberal view that must be prohibited.
Meanwhile, after Walters tweeted out her name and his non-reality-based accusations, Boismier has endured a flood of vulgarity and death threats.
“These teachers need to be taken out and shot,” “teachers like this should not only be fired but also should be swinging from a tree,” “If Summer tried this in Afghanistan, they’d cut out her tongue for starters,” are just a minuscule fraction of the threats pouring into Summer Boismier’s inbox.
Great game here. Draw a target on someone's back and just let your followers try to make her life hell. Again, this provides a lousy atmosphere for teachers to try to teach in.
I find that the State Department of Education has failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that (Boismier) has willfully committed an act of moral turpitude and then violated the standards of performance and conduct for teachers.
I saw this as an opportunity for my kids who were seeing their stories hidden to skirt that directive. Nowhere in my directives did it say we can't put a QR code on a wall.
But Oklahoma school districts are on edge since the state Board of Education downgraded two districts' accreditations for allegedly violating the law (a policy that the governor just applauded). Never mind that this is a policy that just makes it harder for teachers to do their jobs.
The district's suspension was brief, but rather than report back to work, Boismier resigned. As the Washington Post reported
She recognized the school district was in a tight spot and said she placed most of the blame on Oklahoma Republicans for fomenting what she described as a growing culture of fear, confusion and uncertainty in schools.
Amid that climate, Boismier said, she doesn’t feel like she has a place in an Oklahoma classroom.
None of that was enough for Walters. The events surrounding Boismier attracted plenty of attention, and so, Candidate Walters popped up to put his two cents in via a letter that he posted on Twitter.
In the letter, he called for Summer Boismier (he called her out by name) to have her teaching license revoked. "Ms. Boismier's providing access to banned and pornographic material is unacceptable."
The letter also includes this line:
There is no place for a teacher with a liberal political agenda in the classroom.
Walters, who once wrote "I will continue to teach my students the United States is the greatest nation in the world," is at least honest in saying that it's the liberal view that must be prohibited.
Meanwhile, after Walters tweeted out her name and his non-reality-based accusations, Boismier has endured a flood of vulgarity and death threats.
“These teachers need to be taken out and shot,” “teachers like this should not only be fired but also should be swinging from a tree,” “If Summer tried this in Afghanistan, they’d cut out her tongue for starters,” are just a minuscule fraction of the threats pouring into Summer Boismier’s inbox.
Great game here. Draw a target on someone's back and just let your followers try to make her life hell. Again, this provides a lousy atmosphere for teachers to try to teach in.
Walters is still, a year later, trying to strip Boismier of her license, which shows... I don't even know. That trying to act Highly Principled can end up looking like meanspirited petty bullshit? But Assistant Attorney General Liz Stevens says that Walters' office did not make its case. Boismier did not violate the state's reading repression laws.
The Oklahoma AG office of Gentner Drummond has been butting heads with the Christion nationalists currently running the state, but Secretary Dudebro remains unimpressed, telling the USA Today folks, "I appreciate the transparency today and we will be finalizing the revocation of her license in August. Accountability is tough and we will not have indoctrination in the classroom."
I would point out that this is a lousy way to recruit and retain teachers, but Walters, who has called teachers "terrorists," is clearly not interested in teachers or public education or anything other than promoting christianist indoctrination in his state.
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