Teachers Bring Breach of Contract Suit Against the Oklahoma Department of Education

Keeping with this week's theme of Oklahoma news, we have a day in the life of the Oklahoma State Department of Eduction (OSDE) under the leadership of Ryan Walters (right). Mr. Walters is the State Superintendent of Schools.  I have never before known who the superintendent of schools was for the state in which I lived, but Mr. Walters manages to grab headlines almost every day.  The headlines are not about how much Oklahoma schools have improved or about the successes those schools have had in recruiting new teachers.  Rather, they tend to be about banning books, shutting down D.E.I. programs, partnering with providers of conservative educational materials, losing employees, including the entire legal team, and difficulties in accounting for federal funds allocated to Oklahoma.

Two teachers are suing Mr. Walters.  The two teachers allege that they signed a contract in November, 2023, in exchange for a $50,000 signing bonus.  In January 2024, the OSDE demanded repayment of the bonus, and according to the complaint in Bojorquez v. State of Oklahoma, Mr. Walters claimed that the only reason they had been paid the bonuses was that they lied on their applications.  As a result of that statement, plaintiffs are suing not just for breach of contract but also for defamation.  

Stay tuned.