Gov. Stitt addresses remarks from Ryan Walters in press conference
In a live-streamed press conference, Gov. Kevin Stitt spoke against Ryan Walters’ rule requiring children and parents to disclose immigration status upon enrollment.
The Office of the Govenor/Youtube
State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters said Tuesday he would block federal funds from going to Oklahoma schools that do not agree to discontinue race-based programs and other diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
In a statement issued by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Walters said he would start withholding federal funding Friday from schools that do not sign a compliance letter circulated by U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon. The letter requires schools to agree to follow federal anti-discrimination laws and prohibits them from using DEI “to advantage one’s race over another” in order to continue receiving federal funding.
Grace Kim, a spokesperson for Walters and the education agency, said districts initially had until April 18 to sign the letter, but now have until Friday. As of April 18, the department had received signed letters from 446 school districts, she said. Ninety-six districts had not yet responded, she said.
In a statement, Walters praised McMahon and President Donald Trump for setting “a national standard that protects our children from discriminatory practices under the guise of DEI.”
Can Ryan Walters withhold funding from schools? The law is unclear
It is unclear if Walters has the authority to withhold funding from schools, and how he would go about doing so. The Oklahoma Constitution grants the power to the Legislature to raise and appropriate funds for public schools.
Walters has repeatedly touted the Trump administration’s push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from schools. “We were the first State Department of Education to ban DEI in our schools, and we’re so proud of the efforts that President Trump and Secretary McMahon made to ensure that that happens,” Walters said in a post on X earlier in April.
Trump issued an executive order in late January targeting “radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling.” Republican lawmakers and state officials in Oklahoma and other states have since doubled down on efforts to ban DEI within schools, at both the K-12 and collegiate levels. Legislation to do so has been introduced by states such as California and Kentucky.
Walters has been in lock-step with Trump since before the president was reelected in November. After Trump won a second term, Walters assembled a committee to oversee the changes that were to come from the Trump administration. Walters has since backed many of the president’s platforms, including the push to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
