Radio Atlantic: An American Education | 1. Is Oklahoma Breaking Public Schools?

Date: September 18, 2025
Host: Hanna Rosin (The Atlantic)

Overview

This powerful episode "Is Oklahoma Breaking Public Schools?" explores the ongoing ideological, political, and cultural battles reshaping public education in Oklahoma—a state now at the front lines of the American so-called “war on schools.” Host Hanna Rosin takes listeners on a journey through recent history and personal stories: from heated political campaigns to classrooms in turmoil, teachers under fire, and the surprisingly complicated legacy of Ryan Walters, a once-revered teacher turned controversial state superintendent. Central themes include the role of religion and patriotism, censorship, culture war tactics, the meaning of democracy in schools, and the immense personal costs faced by educators caught in the crossfire.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Foundational Role of Public Schools in Democracy

• Opening Reflection: Host Hanna Rosin recalls her immigrant experience in the American public school system, highlighting the role these institutions played in teaching "messy democracy"—the skill of coexisting with difference:

  “We were mean to each other, made fun of each other’s holidays, regularly sniffed each other’s lunches and said, ew. Gross. Fights broke out nearly every day on the playground, but every morning we all showed up and said the Pledge of Allegiance together... we were absorbing another lesson that would serve us throughout our life. It was a lesson on messy democracy.” (01:00)

• Rosin raises the alarm that this "training ground for democracy" may be vanishing as new forces reshape what is taught, read, and allowed in schools.

2. The Oklahoma Frontline: Religion, Law, and “War”

• A New Religious-Patriotic Offensive: Ryan Walters, Oklahoma State Superintendent, foregrounds his tenure with the announcement of the "Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism" within the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

  • He issues direct, public prayers to schools and parents:

    “I will now say a prayer. And to be clear, students, you don’t have to join, but if you so wish, I’m gonna go ahead and pray.” (03:48)

• Walters positions his policies as an explicit battle:

  • The Latin phrase si vis pacem, para bellum (“If you want peace, prepare for war”) on his desk signals the belligerent mood. (04:52)

• Escalating Culture War:

  • Oklahoma’s schools are now battlegrounds for debates over:
    • Religion in the classroom
    • Book bans and “Critical Race Theory” (CRT) laws
    • LGBTQ+ inclusion
    • Parental rights and censorship
    • Political pressure from national figures, including Donald Trump

3. Summer Boamier’s Story: The Cost of Classroom Dissent

The “CRT Ban” and Its Chilling Effects

• The Law: Oklahoma's HB 1775, the “Critical Race Theory ban,” prohibits certain lessons about race, but its vagueness leaves teachers in fear. (05:23)

• Teacher Caught in the Crossfire: Summer Boamier, a longtime, introverted English teacher and avid reader, describes the impossible choice:

  • Remove her classroom library?
  • Hide it with paper?
  • Censor herself preemptively?

  “...I love me a good text feature. And so I added the caption, ‘books the state doesn’t want you to read.’” (08:37)

• Defiance and Consequence:

  • Boamier adds a QR code linking her students to Brooklyn Public Library’s "Books Unbanned" program, offering free access to challenged books. (10:18)

  • This act draws swift backlash; she’s called into district offices and later resigns. Walters, then running for office, moves to make an example of her:

    “I’m asking the Oklahoma State Board of Education to revoke her Teaching certificate. Immediately.” (15:21, Walters’ tweet)

  • The rhetorical escalations turn dangerous. Boamier receives threats, is labeled "a pedophile," and endures doxing.

    “There are accusations featuring the word pornographic on state letterhead with my name in the same paragraph... that is something that doesn’t go away.” (16:38)

  • Ultimately, her teaching certificate is officially revoked by a unanimous Board vote—despite an officer finding she’d broken no law. (37:22)

4. Walters’ Rise: From Beloved Teacher to Political Lightning Rod

Personal Narratives from Former Students

• A Changed Persona: Starla Edge and Shane Hood, two of Walters' former high school students, reminisce fondly about "Coach Walters":

  • Known for self-effacing humor, “high heels” shoes, and a warm classroom culture where even queer students felt respected.

    “Nobody I ever knew personally had a problem with him, which was weird because everybody had something, at least one thing bad to say about every other teacher in that high school. He was the only one that we saw was universally loved.” (30:36, Starla)

• Walters, they say, emphasized critical thinking over dogma:

  • Lessons on Reconstruction’s failures, open casket photos of Emmett Till, the psychological harm of segregation (33:09)
  • He “skimmed” over Christianity (“If you want to know more, go to frickin church”), taught other world religions (31:57)
  • “He was woke. He was a woke teacher.” (32:59, Shane)

• Transformation:

  • Former students express confusion and heartbreak at his political pivot, feeling he’s become “unrecognizable”—a dynamic likened to a parent’s personality being rewritten after remarrying (34:04).

5. National and Local Battle Lines

• Public School Exodus and Privatization:
  • Two-thirds of U.S. public schools have lost enrollment; nationwide, “school choice” is often a banner for shifting funds to private and religious schools.
  • Walters pushes for public funding of a religious charter school and large-scale Bible purchases—many policies at or beyond the edge of prevailing legal boundaries. (21:34–22:45)
• Trump’s Endorsement and Sympathies:
  • Trump amplifies Walters’ message and initiatives, posting public support on social media (21:45)

6. State of Play: The Present and Uncertain Future

• Litigation and Legal Standoffs:

  • The Oklahoma Supreme Court has temporarily stayed new curriculum standards after lawsuits allege the required Bible inclusion violates the separation of church and state. (40:50)
  • Walters dismisses the court as “embarrassing and out of step with Oklahomans.”

• Teachers’ Protection:

  • Oklahoma introduces ideological vetting for incoming teachers from places like California and New York to guard against “radical leftist ideology.” (41:59)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “We are excited to announce a new office here in the Oklahoma State Department of Education. That will be the office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism.”
  — Ryan Walters (03:06)

• “I remember going back to my classroom after this meeting had occurred. And I have never been more grateful for the office chair that I had… I sat there for, I would imagine it was upwards of half an hour, just spinning. And I thought to myself, What am I going to do?”
  — Summer Boamier (06:32)

• “It’s meant to force self-censorship. It’s meant to scare people.”
  — Summer Boamier, on the CRT ban (09:10)

• “Pornography should not be in our schools. No parent should send their child to school and their child have access to graphic pornography.”
  — Ryan Walters, debate for Superintendent (12:39)

• “I have grown up in Oklahoma… and I knew what this could cost me.”
  — Summer Boamier, on her protest (11:11)

• “The teachers union—you know, I don’t negotiate with the teachers union. They’re a terrorist organization.”
  — Ryan Walters (18:58)

• “He’d do little roasts on Twitter... Coach Walters, your pants are so tight they ripped... Is your beard a pumpkin? Halloween festival because it’s patchy.”
  — Ryan Walters (Imitating himself, 29:20–29:33)

• “He was woke. He was a woke teacher.”
  — Shane Hood, former student (32:59)

• “My teaching certificate being unanimously revoked by that state Board of education in Oklahoma... If I could put that at the top of my resume, I would. It will always be a point of pride for me.”
  — Summer Boamier (37:53)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:00–03:06 — Hanna Rosin’s opening, public schools as a training ground for democracy
• 03:06–04:44 — Walters’ religious and patriotic offensive; culture war framing
• 05:23–11:11 — Summer Boamier’s story: CRT ban, censorship, and QR code protest
• 12:29–16:38 — The Walters-Nelson debate, book bans, and the fallout for Boamier
• 17:16–21:45 — Walters’ rise; influencer tactics; teachers union and the nationalization of the OK education battle
• 25:27–34:04 — Former students recount the “Coach Walters” they knew vs. the politician
• 37:22–40:50 — The revocation of Boamier’s teaching certificate, her reflections, and current legal battles over curriculum
• 41:59–end — Walters’ new curriculum, teacher ideology tests, and preview of next episode (including a new Walters-related scandal)

Closing Reflections – The Human and Democratic Stakes

Summer Boamier, reflecting on her forced exit and return:

“I want to live. And this is the way I ensure that happens.” (39:40)

The episode ends on both a personal and societal note: the reverberations of Oklahoma’s education revolution reach not only into the lives of teachers and students but into the heart of American democracy itself.

What’s Next

Next episode preview:
A direct interview with Ryan Walters, who addresses his controversial changes, confronts his past as a teacher, and responds to a recent scandal involving explicit images in his office.

Listeners come away from this episode with a vivid, personalized sense of what’s at stake—and who gets harmed—as public education in Oklahoma becomes a proving ground for national ideological conflict.