By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — While giving a searing indictment of Oklahoma’s education chief on Wednesday, Gov. Kevin Stitt rejected the idea of having schools collect children’s immigration status.
Stitt accused state Superintendent Ryan Walters of using “kids as political pawns” to launch a campaign for higher office.
Walters, who has long been rumored to be considering a run for governor, has become one of the state’s most polarizing elected officials while leading the Oklahoma State Department of Education. His recent proposal to require citizenship checks in public school enrollment has attracted significant controversy.
The governor pledged to block the measure.
“Collecting 6-, 7-, 8-year-old kids’ addresses and immigration status in the state of Oklahoma, that’s not a public safety issue,” Stitt said in his weekly news conference. “Let’s go after the bad guys. Let’s go after people that are committing crimes, and let’s not terrorize and make our kids not show up at school.”
Walters said he is “surprised” the governor is willing to foot the bill to educate undocumented students. He cited a cost estimate of $450 million from an anti-immigration organization.
“Not only is the governor ignoring a mandate from President (Donald) Trump, he’s going against the will of Oklahomans,” Walters said in a statement.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that states cannot refuse public education to undocumented students. Walters has said the Court “got it wrong.”
The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Jan. 28 approved Walters’ proposal to require citizenship checks of enrolling families. The rule would require districts to report to the state the number of students and parents who are unable to verify their citizenship or legal residency.
Walters said his administration would share this information with federal authorities, if asked for it, and would support immigration raids in schools.
The rule requiring citizenship checks is now in the hands of the state Legislature for consideration. Later, it could come before the governor, who called the proposal an “unforced error” and “something that we shouldn’t be doing in Oklahoma.”
“I know he’s running for another office and trying to get headlines, and so he can do that all he wants,” Stitt said of Walters. “But when we focus on the kids and we focus on outcomes, let’s make sure that we’re keeping the kids at the center. And so, when you’ve got failing test scores and you’ve got this kind of turmoil and drama and he’s the superintendent of education, he needs to be held accountable for that.”
Stitt made his comments a day after he replaced three members of the state Board of Education who voted in favor of the immigration rule. The state superintendent leads the board while the governor appoints all of the remaining members.
Citing Oklahoma’s recent bottom-10 performance in national reading and math tests, Stitt called for fresh eyes on the state school board.
Legislative Democrats celebrated the move. Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said Stitt’s action to hold Walters accountable “has been a long time coming and is a positive step on behalf of Oklahoma schools.”
In response to the board shakeup, Walters called Stitt part of the “swampy political establishment that President Trump is fighting against.”
Walters then chose two of the ousted board members, Kendra Wesson and Katie Quebedeaux, to lead a Trump Advisory Committee.
A Wednesday news release from the state Department of Education called the new committee a “DOGE-style education oversight group” that will “fight the liberal DC swamp that has now leaked into Oklahoma’s executive branch.”
“The Trump Advisory Committee is not here to play politics,” Walters said in the announcement. “We are here to fight on behalf of the hearts, minds, and souls of Oklahoma students, their families, and our educators. The weak will be exposed. The corrupt will be held accountable. And Oklahoma’s children will finally have access to the educational journey they deserve.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a response from Superintendent Ryan Walters, which was provided after initial publication.
