Federal judge orders Walters, state school board reveal reason for revocation of former Norman teacher’s certificate

DENVER, Colo. ( KFOR ) — A federal judge is demanding Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters and Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSBE) members give him a documented explanation about why they voted to revoke former Norman teacher Summer Boismier’s teaching certificate.

Walters and Oklahoma State Board of Education members voted unanimously to revoke Boismier’s teaching certificate at their meeting on August 22.

Denver-based U.S. District Court Judge Charles Goodwin issued an order to Walters’ Board members last Thursday, demanding they provide him with their official revocation order and meeting minutes, as well as any other documents to explain why they voted to revoke her license by this Thursday, September 12.

In his order, Goodwin wrote that he wanted to know if the Board revoked Boismier’s certificate over an Oklahoma state law his court ruled was unenforceable.

Walters spoke with reporters about the decision to revoke Boismier’s certificate after the August 22 meeting.

“She broke the law,” Walters said. “When you have a teacher that breaks the law, says she broke the law, says she’ll continue to break the law… that can’t stand.”

The issue stems back to 2021, when someone filed a complaint against Boismier after she shared a link to a public library’s website in her Norman classroom.

In 2023, Walters and the state school board filed an application to revoke her certificate, claiming she violated the state’s so-called anti critical race theory law, House Bill 1775, by sharing the link.

A state fact-finding investigation later determined she did not violate the law, and recommended her license not be revoked.

Despite that, the Walters and the board still pushed forward with revoking her certification, putting it on their meeting agendas to take a vote.

It’s why State Sen. Mary Boren (D-Norman) wanted to sit in on the board’s executive session discussions.

“I wanted to be able to assert my right as a state senator to observe the deliberations, to hear what were the concerns that the finder-of-fact did not find,” Boren told News 4.

As News 4 has reported, the board’s attorneys prevented Boren from entering those executive session discussions.

After they voted to revoke Boismier’s certificate last month, Walters and the board didn’t share their official order explaining why.

“I think it’s all pretty clear to everybody in Oklahoma that they are wanting to scare teachers into complying with House Bill 1775,” Boren said.

But here’s the problem: in 2021, several groups sued the state in federal court, challenging the validity of HB 1775.

A federal judge hearing that lawsuit filed an order temporarily barring the state from enforcing most of HB 1775.

That’s why Judge Goodwin issued that order last week demanding Walters and the board turn over their order revoking her license, their meeting minutes, and any other documents related to their decision.

“And so now the federal court needs to know: why did you terminate her certificate,” Boren said. “Was it because of her lack of compliance with House Bill 1775? And did you violate the protective order in in firing her?”

News 4 asked an OSDE spokesperson for comment, and also asked him to share News 4 a copy of the board’s order revoking Boismier’s certificate.

He didn’t respond.

News 4 reached out to Boismier’s attorney. He sent the following statement on her behalf:

“We hope this order finally forces the OSBE to provide the formal order they were required to some time ago. It is a necessary step in getting Summer’s teaching certificate restored and ultimately holding OSBE accountable to facts and law.”

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