Investigation Launched Over Inappropriate Content Displayed in Oklahoma School Superintendent’s Office
An Oklahoma sheriff’s office Monday opened an investigation over reports that images of nude women were displayed on the state’s school superintendent office television during a meeting with education board members.
Top Oklahoma lawmakers have sought answers over accounts given by two State Board of Education members, who said they saw the images during a meeting in Ryan Walters‘ office Thursday.
Another board member, Chris Van Denhende, said he was not in a position to see the television but that “something was on the screen that should not have been,” based on Walters’ reaction.
The Investigation Begins
The investigation is in the early stages, said Aaron Brilbeck, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. He said it was not clear if any laws were violated.
The Education Lab has been following this story and will provide updates as more information becomes available.
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Walters, a Republican, has spent much of his first term in office lauding the White House, feuding with teachers unions and local school superintendents, and trying to end what he describes as “wokeness” in public schools.
The Incident Unfolds
Brilbeck said the sheriff’s office was investigating at the request of the state’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which handles technology, human resources and property management issues for state government.
Education board members Becky Carson and Ryan Deatherage told the online news outlet NonDoc that they saw a video featuring naked women in Walters’ office during the executive session. They said that they were the only people seated in places where they could see the screen.
Carson said that when she asked Walters to turn it off he expressed confusion before doing so.
Reaction to the Incident
Walters said in a post on the social platform X on Sunday that “any suggestion that a device of mine was used to stream inappropriate content on the television set is categorically false.”
“I have no knowledge of what was on the TV screen during the alleged incident, and there is absolutely no truth to any implication of wrongdoing,” he wrote.
Walters’ office did not immediately reply to a request by The Associated Press for comment about the investigation on Monday.
Van Denhende told the AP that he’s fine with the sheriff’s department investigating, though “I’m not certain if it is a violation of law or state policy.”
Lawmakers Weigh In
Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, a Republican, in a news release on Friday said it was “a bizarre and troubling situation,” and that “the accounts made public by board members paint a strange, unsettling scene that demands clarity and transparency.”
State Sen. Adam Pugh, a Republican who is the Senate education chairman, said in the news release that the reports from the meeting “raise a number of questions.”
Neither Carson nor Deatherage immediately replied Monday to a request for comment from the AP.
Conclusion
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and it remains to be seen what consequences, if any, will result from the display of inappropriate content in the Oklahoma school superintendent’s office. One thing is certain, however: the incident has sparked a heated debate about what is and is not acceptable in the state’s public schools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What happened in the Oklahoma school superintendent’s office?
A: According to reports, images of nude women were displayed on the office television during a meeting with education board members.
Q: Who is investigating the incident?
A: The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident at the request of the state’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
Q: What has Ryan Walters said about the incident?
A: Walters has denied any wrongdoing, saying that any suggestion that a device of his was used to stream inappropriate content on the television set is categorically false.
Q: What are lawmakers saying about the incident?
A: Lawmakers, including Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton and State Sen. Adam Pugh, have expressed concern and called for clarity and transparency in the investigation.
