PERSON: Ryan Walters

Every Kid Counts Oklahoma

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Ryan Walters (born May 23, 1985) is an American politician who served as the elected Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction from January 2023 to September 2025, and who served as the appointed Oklahoma Secretary of Education from September 2020 to April 2023.

A member of the Republican Party, Walters’ political positions have been described as far-right. He is opposed to Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ students’ rights, and teachers’ unions in Oklahoma, and has been described as “the state’s top culture warrior”.

His tenure as state superintendent has been controversial. He successfully campaigned for the removal of Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist, appointed far-right activist Chaya Raichik to the Oklahoma Library Advisory Board, and advocated for teaching the Christian Bible in public schools. His response to the death of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old non-binary Owasso High School student, generated national calls for his removal from office in February 2024. He again generated national attention in November 2024 when he requested teachers play a video of him praying for then president-elect Donald Trump and against his critics.

On September 24, 2025, he announced on Fox News @ Night he would resign from office to run the Teacher Freedom Alliance. He officially resigned September 30.

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