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TPS board member shares controversial social media post

E'Lena Ashley.
Tulsa Public Schools
/
www.tulsaschools.org
E'Lena Ashley.

Tulsa Public Schools board member E’Lena Ashley is drawing attention for a social media post.

The post on Ashley’s Facebook page compares education in Asia to education in the United States. Through graphics it says students in China and India are learning complex math and science, while students in the United States are learning about transgender and LGBTQ issues.

Commenters on the post say it’s insulting to teachers and students.

In a written response Ashley defended the post as a meme meant to make a point about educational excellence.

Ashley is newly elected to the board. Last month she defeated incumbent and teacher Shawna Keller.

According to Ashley’s website, she’s a veteran of the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Program and a former youth counselor who’s lived in Tulsa for 15 years.

She's endorsed by the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association, the state’s largest gun rights group.

Before joining Public Radio Tulsa, Elizabeth Caldwell was a freelance reporter and a teacher. She holds a master's from Hollins University. Her audio work has appeared at KCRW, CBC's The World This Weekend, and The Missouri Review. She is a south Florida native.