![]() “Teaching in Oklahoma right now, you are just waiting for the person who is going to turn you in,” a former Norman Public Schools teacher, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of professional retaliation, told The Daily Beast, adding, “It’s very much like 1984.”įor Boismier, the idea of going through her over-500-book classroom library and ensuring she had validation of each title seemed impossible. “Our intent has been to inform teachers of the potential professional consequences of HB 1775 and ensure they are supported and able to confidently retain their classroom libraries,” he said.Īt least one veteran teacher in the same district suggested Boismier was not alone in constantly looking over her shoulder as she tried to do her job. Moody, the school spokesperson, essentially confirmed this in an earlier statement to The Daily Beast. The teacher signature sheet prompts all educators to agree to the policies-and to attest that they have reviewed and approved each book in their classroom prior to the first day of school. The books must also “contain content that is appropriate for the intended audience” and “reflect diverse perspectives, cultural practices, and social identities,” the policy sheet states. The two papers, which were reviewed by The Daily Beast, provide a list of rules that high-school classroom literature must adhere to-including that it needs to have been “read in its entirety or have at least two professional reviews about the book.” The request came in the form of two pieces of paper-a “teacher signature sheet” and the school’s policy on classroom libraries. ![]() HB 1775 is designed to elicit this kind of environment.”īoismier said that the environment started to come into focus before school started on Friday when she and her colleagues were given new instructions about how to handle interactions between students and books. “But honestly, I was not shocked when this happened. “The downgrade of the accreditation of those two school districts, I think, puts every district in Oklahoma on notice,” Boismier said. ![]() According to local reports, Tulsa Public Schools were dinged by state officials after a teacher allegedly complained that the district’s training materials “shame white people.” However, as educators, it is our goal to teach students to think critically, not to tell them what to think.”Įarlier this year, the Oklahoma State Board of Education downgraded the accreditation of Mustang Public Schools and Tulsa Public Schools for allegedly not adhering to the rules imposed by HB 1775. “Like many educators, the teacher has concerns regarding censorship and book removal by the Oklahoma state legislature. “The concern centered on a Norman Public Schools teacher who, during class time, made personal, political statements and used their classroom to make a political display expressing those opinions,” the spokesperson, Moody, said. But he acknowledged that the school believed she intended to resign. “I was told I was on administrative leave,” Boismier claimed, adding that she believed the complaint against her was from a parent who wanted her fired.Ī school spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Beast that the episode centering on Boismier began when “a concerned parent reached out to us about a potential issue regarding Oklahoma HB 1775.” The spokesperson, Wes Moody, denied that Boismier had ever been suspended nor placed on leave, and in fact, suggested that she had been invited to resume her work. Over the weekend, Boismier said, she reached out to school administrators, asking for clarification about whether she should report to class on Monday given her upcoming meeting. According to The Oklahoman, the bill was pushed as a ban on so-called critical race theory, a right-wing bete noire, even though those words do not appear in the legislative text, and despite CRT not being taught at virtually any school in America. which result in treating individuals differently on the basis of race or sex or the creation of a hostile environment.”īasically, the law dictates that teachers not make young white kids feel bad for being white or cisgender. Among other things, the law prohibits schools from “engaging in race or sex-based discriminatory acts…. ![]() The project has emerged at a time when lawmakers across the country have begun cracking down on texts somehow deemed hostile to white people or otherwise supposedly inviting shame among youth.Īs part of that broader backlash-a backlash to longstanding calls for young people to grasp systemic racism and discrimination-Oklahoma lawmakers last year enacted HB 1775. She later learned that the complaint was connected to the QR code, which links kids to UnBanned, a Brooklyn Public Library program offering teenagers unlimited digital and audio access to banned or challenged books. After the first day of school this past Friday, she was informed she would have a meeting with officials about a complaint lodged over a discussion in class. ![]()
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