Oklahoma’s top education official has announced a sweeping new partnership with the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA, pledging to establish a chapter of the organization’s “Club America” initiative in every high school across the state.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters made the announcement this week, framing the move as part of a broader effort to reshape the culture of Oklahoma classrooms.
“We will be putting TPUSA on every high school campus in Oklahoma,” Walters said in a news release posted to the Department of Education’s website. “Charlie Kirk inspired a generation to love America, to speak boldly, and to never shy away from debate. Our kids must get involved and active.”
Walters positioned the partnership as a counterbalance to what he characterized as left-leaning influence in education. “We will fight back against the liberal propaganda pushed by the radical left and the teachers’ unions. Our fight starts now,” he declared.
According to the release, students in public and private schools—as well as homeschooled students—will be eligible to launch TPUSA chapters. Each chapter will receive a set of resources branded as “Activism Kits,” which include pins, pocket-sized U.S. Constitutions, handbooks, event ideas, and access to leadership roles. The department said student leaders would also receive guidance and mentorship to help build what it called a “strong campus presence.”
Walters also promoted the initiative on social media, writing on X that he was “very excited to announce a partnership with @TPUSA to establish chapters in ALL Oklahoma high schools.” He accused “radical leftist teachers’ unions” of having “dominated classrooms for far too long,” adding, “we are taking them back.”
In an accompanying video message, Walters emphasized what he sees as a growing demand among Oklahoma families for TPUSA’s brand of civic engagement. “We have seen the outpouring from parents, teachers, and students that want to be engaged in the meaningful work going on at Turning Point,” Walters said.
“They want their young people to be engaged in a process that understands free speech, open engagement, dialogue about American greatness, a dialogue around American values.”
“For far too long, radical leftists aligned with teachers’ unions have dominated classrooms and pushed what I would call woke indoctrination on our children,” Walters said, his tone sharpening as he outlined his justification for the new initiative. “They sideline parents, exclude them from the educational process, and misrepresent American history to our students.”
Walters framed the TPUSA partnership as a corrective: a way to ensure that students learn what he described as “American greatness” and engage in robust civic discussion. “We’re going to make sure our kids understand American greatness, engage in civic dialogue, and have that open discussion,” he said, repeating the themes he has promoted since taking office.
The superintendent did not stop at rhetoric. According to reporting by Newsweek, Walters warned that resistance from local schools would carry consequences. “I mean we would go after their accreditation. We would go after their certificates. So … they would be in danger of not being a school district if they decided to reject a club that is here to promote civic engagement,” he said, invoking the full coercive weight of state oversight.
Pressed further on the legal and regulatory stakes, Walters was blunt: “Absolutely, they would be violating the law. They would be violating the rules set forth to them by our agency. So yeah, everything would be on the table in that scenario.” His comments signal an aggressive posture toward districts that refuse to host Turning Point USA chapters and underscore the degree to which state education policy in Oklahoma is being leveraged to shape campus political life.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters directed all schools in the state to observe a moment of silence in honor of the conservative activist, according to KOCO-TV.
State officials have since opened investigations into schools that failed to comply with the order, raising questions about how districts balance state directives with local discretion in matters of political or ideological observance.
