OKLAHOMA CITY — The State Board of Education voted unanimously to remove an educator's teaching certificate after accusations they engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters called an emergency State Board of Education meeting to discuss protections against sexual predators.
Walters specifically referenced one educator and voted on his future in the classroom.
2 News attended the meeting and watched as Walters proposed a few different rules to address predators in classrooms and the leaders who hire them. He said this month, the Department of Education removed 14 teaching certificates, with paperwork out to remove 17 more.
He said the excess is a result of a backlog of cases he inherited.
However, in this meeting they addressed one specific educator the board discussed. Superintendent Walters said he looked at more than 100-pages of inappropriate text messages between this educator and a minor.
The board adjourned for an executive session shortly into the meeting, coming back only to unanimously vote in favor of removing the educator's teaching certification.
Walters said inappropriate incidents are not isolated to just one district in Oklahoma. He intends to hold everyone involved accountable.
"When you see multiple instances at a district like this, it's completely unacceptable," Walters said. "We have got to start looking at district wide what are we doing, what are the background checks and how do we expand those, those are some of the conversations we've been having with districts at all."
2 News reached out to Oklahoma City police to find out if there is an investigation into this educator, but was told the department has nothing that rises to level of being releasable under the Oklahoma open records act. OKC police said they would let us know if that changes.
As for Walters' plan to remove sexual predators from Oklahoma classrooms, he said it will be the most aggressive in state history. His plans include attaching district accreditation to how districts deal with teachers under investigation for sexual misconduct.
Walters said he will be investigating other Oklahoma school districts, including Shawnee Public Schools, Western Heights, Kingfisher and Ringling. He hopes to work with them to find solutions.
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