About 150 people gathered in the rain Thursday morning to protest Ryan Walters’ visit to a Tulsa elementary school.
Oklahoma’s superintendent of public schools visited Carnegie Elementary on 56th Street near LaFortune Park to mark the school’s academic achievements. But Kensey Wright, protest organizer and Carnegie parent, said Walters doesn’t deserve acclaim.
“Carnegie tested extremely high in their reading scores. So they’re coming with state reps to kind of see what we do. The problem is Ryan Walters trying to take credit for the extreme hard work of our teachers and our students, as well as ignoring the fact that we are definitely a school of privilege,” said Wright.

Wright said Carnegie only learned on Tuesday of Walters’ visit.
Nonprofit Defense of Democracy helped organize the protest that saw dozens of signs decrying Walters’ stance on undocumented immigrants.
On Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Board of Education advanced a rule requiring districts to collect citizenship information on parents and students.
“We will make sure that President Trump and his administration have this information,” Walters said at the board meeting.
The rule is pending legislative approval and is not in force.

Walters has been a controversial figure in Oklahoma politics for years. He’s known for pushing extremely conservative views around culture war talking points while advocating for the destruction of the federal Department of Education.
Most media members weren’t permitted inside Carnegie. The Tulsa World reported that as Walters exited, his motorcade attempted to speed away.