Overview
- Walters announced on Fox News that he will become CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, declaring, "We’re going to destroy the teachers unions"; the Freedom Foundation-backed group lists about 2,617 members.
- He has not set a resignation date, though his adviser expects an early-October exit, and Gov. Kevin Stitt will appoint an interim superintendent to serve through January 2027.
- The departure comes a day after Walters said every Oklahoma high school would have a Turning Point USA chapter, following earlier initiatives such as Bible directives and an ideological screening proposal for out-of-state teachers.
- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond condemned Walters’ tenure as scandal-driven, while a county prosecutor recently said there was insufficient evidence for criminal charges over explicit content reported on a TV in his office.
- Education Week and other outlets report possible interim candidates could include Stitt’s education secretary, Nellie Sanders, as educators and advocates urge a reset toward classroom performance and stable governance.