It’s true that some Oklahoma colleges and universities have hosted hot-button events like drag shows and lectures on race and gender issues. Some institutions also maintain diversity offices that employ full-time staff to oversee programs. But the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education’s 2023 report on DEI spending also includes programs for students with autism and veterans as well as staff who oversee compliance with Title IX,  the federal mandate that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires DEI practices, as well as some accreditation programs, according to the State Regents. Some DEI funding comes not from the state but federal or private sources. 

The Frontier used public records, state data and requests for information from schools, campus organization and other sources to fact-check claims about Oklahoma’s DEI spending from public officials and advocacy groups. 

Claim: The University of Oklahoma spent $1 million furnishing menstrual products in men’s bathrooms.
Source: A flyer distributed at the Oklahoma Capitol in December made this claim, crediting the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a conservative think tank, as the source of the information. The flier included a QR code linking to an anti-DEI website maintained by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.
Fact check: False 

The campus group OU Women’s Health Advocacy says it is the sole provider of free menstrual products at the University of Oklahoma. It maintains more than 80 menstrual stations on and off campus in women’s and gender-neutral restrooms. The group did previously place products in a few men’s restrooms in one building at the request of a professor, said Emily Carr, president of OU Women’s Health Advocacy.  

“We did this in acknowledgment that not all menstruators identify as women and, as an organization, we wanted to eradicate any potential barriers for obtaining menstrual products,” Carr said in an email. “However, due to a lack of use, those stations are no longer there.” 

The group is primarily funded by donations. Carr said the only money the group has received from OU amounts to less than $8,000 since 2019 from the Student Government Association.

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs did not respond to questions about whether it published or distributed the flier. 
-Brianna Bailey

Claim: The University of Oklahoma held identity-based graduation ceremonies in 2023
Source: An April 2023 article from the conservative Campus Reform website claims OU planned  “ceremonies segregated by ethnicity and gender identity.” 
Fact check: True but misleading 

OU held five different identity-based graduation celebrations in 2023, but a university spokesperson said in an email that it only holds one university-wide ceremony where degrees are officially conferred. According to the OU Multicultural Programs and Services website, different cultural groups based on race, gender identity or sexual orientation held celebrations before and after graduation. The goal of these events was to create a “more intimate celebration” of students’ successes. 
-Ari Fife

Claim: Some DEI staff at Oklahoma colleges and universities earn six-figure salaries. 
Source: “We need to stop sending six-figure salaries to DEI staff and more on preparing students to get that job and to have a successful career,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said during a press conference in December.
Fact check: True

At least a few DEI staff at Oklahoma universities make six-figure salaries. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education reported in 2023 that a diversity and inclusion program coordinator for the Price College of Business made $100,320 that year, partially funded with state money. A senior program administrator in charge of diversity equity and inclusion programs for the OU Athletics Department made $149,160 in 2023, but the salary wasn’t paid with state money. 

Stitt spokesman Meyer Siegfried shared meeting minutes showing Belinda Hyppolite, who OU hired as its vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion in 2019, makes $230,000 a year. Siegfried also said Oklahoma State University’s vice president of diversity makes more than $200,000 a year, but The Frontier couldn’t independently verify that figure. Oklahoma State University’s Division of Institutional Diversity touts a 111% increase in students of color earning a bachelor’s degree from the school since 2010, but its directory of DEI employees sends users to an empty page, as does a link to the school’s DEI Task Force. 
-Dylan Goforth

Claim: A student orientation program at the University of Oklahoma featured drag queens and “queer tours.” 
Source: Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, said this during an interim study on DEI programs he hosted at the Capitol in October. “I saw the OU Sooner camp. I didn’t see any Bible study, which I would have been surprised to see that, but we see queer tours, drag shows and drag bingo for all these young kids coming onto campus. Is that really what we want to spend our money and time doing?” Standridge said, according to the OU Daily. “Shouldn’t we just talk to them about math and science and English and just let them study?” 
Fact check: True, but misleading

The OU Gender and Equality Center hosted a “Queer Tour,” in August, a guided tour of the OU campus meant to “connect students to resources, allies and queer-friendly spaces across campus.” The event was held during the University of Oklahoma’s “Camp Crimson” — a weeklong orientation camp for incoming college freshmen featuring numerous activities, games and campus tours. The Gender and Equality Center also hosted “Drag Bingo: Pride on the Prairie,” an event that featured performances by drag queens. But going on the tour, attending the drag performance or even attending Camp Crimson entirely were not mandatory for incoming freshmen. The events were only two among dozens of other non-academic activities that were also available for new college students during Camp Crimson and were not part of the university’s academic programs.
-Clifton Adcock

Claim: Oklahoma colleges spent $83 million on diversity programs. 
Source: This was the headline of a Feb. 15 article on the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs website. 
Fact check: True but misleading

Oklahoma public colleges and universities reported spending $83.4 million over the past decade on diversity, equity and inclusion programs and personnel, according to data The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education released in February 2023. But the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs headline and accompanying article lack critical information to put that figure into context. The article neglects to mention that $83.4 million represents less than one-third of 1% of Oklahoma’s total higher education spending over the past 10 years. Less than one-tenth of 1% of DEI spending came from state higher education funding. Some of the money came from federal programs, charitable donations and other private sources. The State Regents counted spending on support and engagement programs for students from a wide variety of underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds including those with low incomes and disabilities, students aging out of foster care and single parents as well as people of color and different gender identities.
-Brianna Bailey

Rating system: 
True: A claim that is backed up by factual evidence
Mostly true: A claim that is mostly true but also contains some inaccurate details 
Mixed: A claim that contains a combination of accurate and inaccurate or unproven information 
True but misleading: A claim that is factually true but omits critical details or context 
Mostly false: A claim that is mostly false but also contains some accurate details 
False: A claim that has no basis in fact

The post From drag queen bingo to tampons in men’s rooms, we fact-checked Oklahoma’s DEI scare appeared first on The Frontier.

We reported on a man left paralyzed on the streets of Tulsa. How’s he doing now? What Fortune 500 company decided against expanding in Oklahoma again? The Frontier is updating its most-read stories of 2023.

5. Gov. Kevin Stitt paid more than $1.9 million in legal fees for gaming lawsuits with state money
Publication date: Aug. 4
What happened: Gov. Kevin Stitt paid nearly $2 million in state money to law firms representing the governor in legal fights with the tribes. The money came from funds the tribes pay the state to ensure Oklahoma is receiving its cut from tribal gaming operations. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said he was looking into whether the funds were properly used and filed a motion in one of those cases to take over legal representation for the state.
Update: The Oklahoma Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency issued a report  in November that found the amount of tribal gaming funds the governor’s office spent on attorneys was even higher than initially reported — $3.3 million. Stitt’s attorneys are also still fighting Drummond’s bid to take over legal representation in one case. Drummond has asked the federal court to have the Oklahoma Supreme Court rule on the issue. The federal court has not yet issued a decision.
-Clifton Adcock

4. A patient-dumping probe clears two Tulsa hospitals after man left paralyzed on the streets
Publication date: Sept. 27
What happened: Brent Thurman, a man experiencing homelessness in Tulsa, sought care at two local hospitals last year for what turned out to be a serious blood infection. Instead, he was left on the sidewalk unable to move. A federal investigation into whether the hospitals failed to treat Thurman cleared them of wrongdoing. Thurman now lives partially paralyzed in a nursing home. 
Update: Over the last several months, Thurman has been in and out of the hospital for seizures, low oxygen and pneumonia. He’s working with a new lawyer to look over his case. The federal government has not returned additional requests for information to The Frontier. 
-Kayla Branch 

3. Millions of dollars meant to boost broadband access in Oklahoma has gone to emergency responders instead
Publication date: April 4
What happened: The Oklahoma Broadband Office is in charge of expanding broadband internet access in rural communities in the state. But in November 2022, its board voted to use $19.9 million in federal relief money to upgrade the Department of Public Safety’s telecommunications system for first responders instead. The Department of Public Safety said it didn’t ask the Broadband Office for the money, and none of the legislators leading the state committee that allocates federal relief funding said they knew about the agency’s decision beforehand. 
Update: Broadband Office spokesperson Tim Allen said none of the funding allocated for emergency system upgrades was ultimately transferred to the Department of Public Safety. The Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services is holding it for qualifying broadband projects. The Broadband Office is using about $374 million in federal relief money for service provider grants to expand high-speed internet access, which it plans to award in early 2024. 
-Ari Fife 

2. Audit finds special interest groups gave Oklahoma private schools first-dibs on federal relief money while rejecting poor kids
Publication date: June 27
What happened: An audit by Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd confirmed flaws in how the state handled the Bridge the Gap Digital Wallet pandemic relief program, after a joint investigation by The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch revealed how families spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in coronavirus federal education money on video game consoles, Christmas trees, grills and other non-educational items. The audit also found that millions in federal relief money meant to help pay tuition for Oklahoma students in private schools was misspent at the hand of special interest groups who gave preferential treatment to wealthier private schoolers while hundreds of needy children missed out on financial aid.
Update: Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office has since spent another $17.7-million round of federal coronavirus education funds. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond also said in November that Oklahoma taxpayers will likely have to pay back $18 million to the federal government for the issues during the first round of educational relief funding.
-Clifton Adcock

1. Why three major companies have passed on expanding in Oklahoma
Publication date: March 28
What happened: Despite hundreds of millions of dollars in promised incentives, three large companies — Volkswagen, Tesla and Panasonic — passed on building factories in Oklahoma in recent years. Some blamed a lack of qualified workers and infrastructure while others faulted Oklahoma’s conservative politics.
Update: A new Senate committee on business retention and economic development has met four times this year, including a meeting this fall after Michelin announced it would close a plant in Ardmore that employs 1,400 workers. Lawmakers heard presentations on workforce development efforts, incentive programs and plans to improve industrial sites throughout the state. The committee hasn’t finalized any official recommendations, though lawmakers will likely lean on what they’ve learned in the meetings while writing bills for the next legislative session, said Senate spokesman Alex Gerszewski. 

Just before Christmas, Panasonic said Oklahoma was out of the running for yet another project — an electric vehicle battery plant.
-Kayla Branch 

The post Whatever happened with that? Part 2 appeared first on The Frontier.

Read Part 2

10. A state retiree seeks to overturn Oklahoma’s ‘woke’ investment ban
Publication date: Nov. 21
A former state employee backed by pension groups and an organization that represents public workers sued to overturn an Oklahoma law banning the state from doing business with financial firms accused of boycotting the fossil fuel industry. Plaintiff Don Keenan claimed in a lawsuit filed in state court that the law violates the First Amendment and the Oklahoma Constitution.
Update: Keenan dropped the lawsuit after attorneys for the state and Treasurer Todd Russ sought to have the case moved to federal court. Keenan argued in one legal filing that Russ’s attorney was trying to delay the legal process. Russ issued a statement after the suit was withdrawn, saying he plans to file a counterclaim against Keenan to cover legal expenses. Keenan filed a new lawsuit against Russ in state court the next day, without some of the federal claims that were in the original suit. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 11.
-Clifton Adcock

9. Oklahoma is set to execute second death row inmate of 2023
Publication date: July 17
What happened: Oklahoma executed Jemaine Cannon, 51, on July 20. He was the ninth person Oklahoma has put to death since the state resumed executions in 2021. 
Update: Oklahoma put four people to death in 2023, down from five executions the previous year. So far, three more execution dates have been set for 2024. 
-Ashlynd Huffman

8. We fact-checked Ryan Walters on misspent federal money and more claims
Publication date: July 13
What happened: The Frontier fact-checked Ryan Walters after he spoke at a Cleveland County Republican Party meeting. Walters faced backlash for his remarks on the Tulsa Race Massacre after some people interpreted his comments as downplaying the role race played in the 1921 event. The Frontier also found inaccuracies in some of Walter’s other remarks at the meeting. 
Update: After the meeting, Walters issued a statement saying the Tulsa Race Massacre was  “racist” and blamed the media for twisting his words. Rep. Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle, one of the authors of an Oklahoma law banning some lessons on race and gender in public schools, also told The Frontier in August that she believed the Tulsa Race Massacre was motivated by race, but hesitated to say the perpetrators were racist. She later apologized.  

Walters is ending the year facing questions from state lawmakers about education spending under his watch. He complied with a subpoena from the House Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee ​to produce some documents the day after Christmas. 
-Brianna Bailey

7. Oklahoma trims millions in pledged incentives to EV maker Canoo after delays and shifting plans 
Publication date: April 5
State officials voided incentive contracts worth up to $10 million with the electric vehicle startup Canoo after the company missed a deadline to break ground on a factory in Vinita. 
Update: After earlier deals fell through, Canoo has continued to ink new incentive contracts with the state. The company can still reap up to $110 million in state incentives. Canoo has not yet received any payments because the deals hinge on the company meeting hiring goals and other performance measures. The company launched production in earnest at a different factory site in Oklahoma City in November. Canoo also still has a potentially lucrative no-bid contract to produce fleet vehicles for the state. A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services said the state expects to receive the first vehicles sometime this week. 
-Brianna Bailey

6. Jury awards $33 million to the family of a man who died in an Oklahoma jail as staff mocked him
Publication date: Aug. 25
A federal jury awarded $33 million to the family of a man who died of sepsis and pnemonia after being held for 12 days at the Ottawa County jail. Terral Ellis, 26, begged for medical attention in jail for more than 20 hours before his death in October 2015. Jail staff accused him of faking his illness and mocked him as he screamed for help. 
Update: Ottawa County officials have asked a federal judge to reduce the amount of money the jury awarded to Ellis’ family or order a new trial, arguing the $33-million verdict is excessive. Daniel Smolen, an attorney for the Ellis family, said these were routine legal maneuvers after a multi-million dollar verdict. The judge has yet to rule on the request.
-Brianna Bailey

The post Whatever happened with that? Part 1 appeared first on The Frontier.

The post Tell us why you donate to The Frontier appeared first on The Frontier.

Frontier Staff Writer Kayla Branch won first place for Outstanding Magazine Story for her reporting on Oklahoma City’s lack of options for people experiencing homelessness after being discharged from a hospital.  The story was reported in collaboration with Curbside Chronicle. 

“Strong reporting, clear writing, and a compelling narrative all work hand-in-hand to usher this important subject into the light. Excellent work,” the judges said. 

Branch was also awarded first-place in the General News and Spot News categories for her reporting examining Oklahoma’s shortage of home health care workers to serve people with disabilities. 

The Frontier also won first place for Outstanding Investigative Report for its work in collaboration with Oklahoma Watch examining then-Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walter’s leadership of a nonprofit that keeps its donors secret and how the state bungled a pandemic relief program for school children under his watch. Oklahoma Watch Staff Writer Jennifer Palmer, Frontier Staff Writer Clifton Adcock and former Frontier Staff Writer Reese Gorman all contributed reporting to the project. 

​”Solid investigative work. Good read. Ticks all the boxes.” the judges said. 

The post Frontier wins four top honors at the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists awards appeared first on The Frontier.

Huffman graduated from  East Central University in 2019 with a degree in journalism and a minor in criminal justice. 

She previously worked at the Stillwater News Press, Oklahoma Watch, and the Norman Transcript. 

Her reporting on sexual assault prosecutions at the Stillwater News Press earned her  a national CNHI Public Service Award in 2021. Huffman is also a past recipient of the Oklahoma Press Association’s Ray Lokey Memorial Award for Excellence in Reporting.

Follow Huffman’s work on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ashlyndhuffman or call her at 405-240-6359.

The post The Frontier welcomes Ashlynd Huffman as its new staff writer appeared first on The Frontier.

The Frontier has been reporting for the past two years on the growing number of criminal prosecutions in Oklahoma for substance use during pregnancy. A 2020 Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruling held women can be charged with child neglect for using illegal drugs during pregnancy — a felony that can carry up to a life sentence. Some women have also faced charges for using legal substances like medical marijuana.

Women can be prosecuted even after they give birth to healthy babies. Health care providers and policy experts told The Frontier fear of criminal prosecution can prevent mothers from seeking prenatal care or substance use treatment.

The Frontier and partners are continuing to report on how fetal personhood laws have contributed to the prosecution of women for substance use during pregnancy. The partners published a story in July that found hundreds of women who used drugs while pregnant have faced criminal charges — even when they deliver healthy babies.

The study session will be held in Room 4S5 at the Oklahoma State Capitol from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. before the Judicial Criminal Committee of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Presenters will include: 

• Dana Sussman, Interim Executive Director, Pregnancy Justice
• Angela Hawkins, M.D., chair of the Oklahoma Section of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• Stephanie Pierce,  medical director for Oklahoma Mothers and Newborns Affected by Opioids 
• Kaushiki Chowdhury, family defense practice lead for  Still She Rises
• Heath Hayes, spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

The post Impact: Oklahoma Capitol hearing will focus on mothers criminally charged for substance use during pregnancy appeared first on The Frontier.

“The governor is calling for the Legislature to put Oklahoma on a path to zero, that includes assessing the budget, not increasing appropriations and cutting the size of government,” Cave said.  “He will not cut core services. You’ll remember that the House has voted to cut taxes on multiple occasions and the Senate continues to hold it up.”

Claim: Oklahoma now has record savings after emptying its reserves and facing billion-dollar budget deficits in past years. 
Stitt said: “We went from billion dollar budget deficits and zero money in savings and now we have the largest savings account in our state’s history” during an interview on Aug. 23 on KKAJ Texoma. 
Fact check: True but misleading

It’s true that Oklahoma had a record $1.3 billion in savings in June after higher-than- expected revenue from income taxes, which Stitt now wants to cut. But how much the state is able to keep in savings depends on tax revenue and swings in the state’s energy industry and overall economy. The state’s primary savings account, the Rainy Day Fund, was created in the wake of the oil bust in the 1980s and designed to conserve money from good years to spend in leaner times.

Oklahoma completely drained its Rainy Day Fund in 2003 and 2004 and again between 2010 and 2011 to plug budget holes after economic downturns. In 2016, the state faced a more than $1 billion deficit after steep declines in oil prices and years of tax cuts.

There are now some indications that Oklahoma’s economy is slowing again. The state’s total revenue collections were down nearly 9% in August from the same time a year ago, mostly due to declines in collections from oil and gas production taxes, according to the Oklahoma State Treasurer. 
-Brianna Bailey

Claim: Oklahoma is one of just 12 states that tax groceries. 
Stitt said: “We’re one of only 12 states that taxes groceries, and I’m trying to eliminate that because of the inflation and the harm that it’s causing everyday Americans, everyday Oklahomans. We’re trying to give them some relief at the grocery store as well,” during an Aug. 22 appearance on Fox Business.
Fact check: True

Oklahoma is now one of 12 states that have a state tax on groceries, after Virginia’s legislature passed a measure earlier this year eliminating the state sales tax on groceries. In addition to Oklahoma, Hawaii, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, Utah and Idaho all charge a state sales tax on groceries, though many of those other states have already reduced the tax compared to other items. Oklahoma’s state sales tax rate on groceries is 4.5%.
-Clifton Adcock

Claim: Oklahoma’s median income has grown over the past decade, thanks to less government regulation. 
Stitt said: “More jobs, more competition, less government regulations. That’s good for our economy and your wallet,” in social media posts on Aug. 28. He also shared a graphic showing Oklahoma’s growth in median income over the past decade. 
Fact check: Mixed

Oklahoma’s median personal income grew from $46,161 to $60,096 between 2013 and 2023, according to figures from the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services. The figures Stitt cited are adjusted for inflation, an agency spokesperson said. Lots of factors can affect median household income, including demographic shifts in the population over time. The figures also don’t reflect disparities between households with the highest and the lowest incomes. Median household income only shows the middle of the range. 
-Brianna Bailey

Claim: Cutting income and grocery taxes won’t put state services at risk. 
Stitt said: “When you have a budget surplus, it just makes common sense. You either raise expenses, or you cut revenue, and so I’m not going to put our services at risk. But with surplus, we should give that back,” during an Aug. 22 appearance on Fox Business.
Fact check: False

Oklahoma’s budget failures and agency shortfalls in the late 2010s were preceded by years of deep tax cuts made worse by a slump in oil prices. Lawmakers eventually had to raise taxes to fund core services.  

Personal income taxes have made up about 30% of all state taxes collected so far this year, according to the Oklahoma Checkbook, a state budget transparency website. The estimated impact of cutting the state’s grocery sales tax would be more than $300 million per year. 

A tax cut permanently eliminates a source of recurring revenue for the state to fund things like education and social services. And raising taxes in Oklahoma is difficult, requiring a supermajority vote in the Legislature. 

The state’s current budget surplus has been helped by an influx of federal relief dollars throughout the pandemic. When those funds run out, the state’s financial picture should settle. Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said Wednesday that the tax cuts Stitt has called for would eliminate $4 billion dollars from the state budget, putting funding for things like schools and hospitals at risk. 
-Kayla Branch 

Claim: Eliminating the state tax on groceries will help lower income people because they spend a larger portion of their money on groceries. 
Stitt said: “People in the lower income bracket spend the high — most amount of their — percentage — of their income on groceries than people in the higher income bracket,” during the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s State of the State luncheon on Aug. 24. 
Fact check: True

The lowest-earning 20% of Oklahomans used 13.2% of their family income on state and local taxes, while the top 1% used only 6.2% on taxes, a 2018 analysis by the liberal-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found. Lower-income households spend less on food, but it makes up a larger portion of their budget than higher earners, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
-Ari Fife 

Rating system: 
True: A claim that is backed up by factual evidence
Mostly true: A claim that is mostly true but also contains some inaccurate details 
Mixed: A claim that contains a combination of accurate and inaccurate or unproven information 
True but misleading: A claim that is factually true but omits critical details or context 
Mostly false: A claim that is mostly false but also contains some accurate details False: A claim that has no basis in fact

The post We fact-checked Gov. Kevin Stitt on tax cuts appeared first on The Frontier.

The award is given annually at the Online Journalism Awards to honor “stories that uncover major news based on the reporters’ own investigations that advance and serve the public interest.”  

The Frontier’s reporting was part of a national project in collaboration with The Marshall Project, AL.com and The Washington Post. The investigation found that more than 50 women have been prosecuted for child neglect or manslaughter in the United States since 1999 because they tested positive for drug use after a miscarriage or stillbirth.

The Frontier and partners are continuing to report on how fetal personhood laws have contributed to the prosecution of women for substance use during pregnancy. In July, the partners published a story that found hundreds of women who used drugs while pregnant have faced criminal charges — even when they deliver healthy babies.

The post Impact: Frontier and partners named finalists for national investigative journalism award appeared first on The Frontier.

Claim: A state vendor is responsible for the mismanagement of federal relief money intended to help families with educational expenses during the coronavirus pandemic. 
Walters said: “We had a vendor that signed a contract with the state that said ‘we will disperse this money and we assume all responsibility for setting money.’ And there was money that was missing. And we moved to hold that vendor accountable through a lawsuit.”
Fact check: False

As The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch reported in 2022, the vendor, Florida-based ClassWallet, signed a contract with the state to allow parents to buy school supplies with federal pandemic relief funds through the company’s digital platform. At the time, Walters was the CEO of the nonprofit Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, which oversaw the program. Emails show a representative from ClassWallet asked Walters whether parents should be restricted from buying certain items on ClassWallet’s platform. But Walters gave “blanket approval” for all purchases. An investigation by The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch found that much of the money was spent on non-educational items including video games, home appliances and Christmas trees. The state sued ClassWallet last year, but didn’t do much to advance the lawsuit after it was filed.  Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond dropped the lawsuit after taking office in January. A recently-released audit by State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd found that Oklahoma failed to inform ClassWallet and state agencies the money passed through of monitoring, reporting and records retention requirements. That audit lays blame for mismanagement of the funds squarely at the feet of the state.
-Clifton Adcock

Claim: Questionable spending of federal relief money happened before Ryan Walters took office. 
Walters said: “This is all before I was in office. So once I came into office, again, internally auditing this vendor, okay, and what was going on there, and we found issues and that’s where the auditing process ramped up.”
Fact check: Mostly false

Oklahoma spent federal relief money on educational programs during 2020 and 2021 before Walters was elected as State Superintendent in November 2022. But Walters was involved in the oversight of those relief programs before being elected or appointed to a state office, reporting by The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch found. Walters helped secure the contract between the state and Class Wallet while he was executive director of Every Kid Counts Oklahoma. Walters also gave blanket approval to ClassWallet on what families could purchase through the program before he was appointed or elected to any state office. Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Walters as Secretary of Education in September 2020 and he continued his involvement with the programs. That’s when the bulk of the money was misspent. 
-Kayla Branch 

Claim: Allowing transgender students to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity resulted in an assault at Edmond Public Schools.
Walters said: “I don’t believe you allow boys in the girls bathroom unattended. I think it creates a very dangerous environment. We’ve seen an assault at Edmond Public Schools.”
Fact check: True but misleading

Months after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a 2022 bill into law requiring kids in Oklahoma public schools to use the restrooms that “correspond to their birth sex,” a teenage transgender girl was accused of “severely” beating another student in the women’s bathroom at Edmond Memorial High School.

After the incident, Edmond Memorial Superintendent Angela Grunewald said in a video message to parents that the transgender student initiated the fight and had only been at the school for a short time. The student “enrolled as a female and presented themself as a female, and so had been accepted as a female,” Grunewald said. 

Students said the fight was over allegations of stolen clothing, according to a police report. A police officer noted that students “speculated that (the girl) was a male” but were unsure, according to the report. While many critics of inclusive restrooms have raised concerns that girls will be sexually assaulted by men posing as women, physical fights in school restrooms are somewhat common, studies show. A report from the National Center for Education Statistics showed that 8% of students reported having been in a physical fight with another student on school property in 2019.

A parent of the girl who said she was attacked filed a lawsuit in May, accusing Edmond Public Schools of knowingly allowing the transgender girl to use the girls restroom.

“Edmond Public Schools is confident that when the facts are presented, it will be determined that the district fully complied with the law and acted in a reasonable manner,” Edmond Public Schools Director of Communications Susan Parks-Schlepp said in an email.
-Dylan Goforth   

Claim: Ryan Walters has responded to more open records requests during his first six months as State Superintendent than his predecessor Joy Hofmeister did during her second term.
Walters said: “I’ve responded to more open records requests in the six months I’ve been there … than Joy Hofmeister did her entire second term.” 
Fact check: False

During the last three years of Hofmeister’s second term between 2020 and 2022, the Oklahoma State Department of Education received 1,215 open records requests, according to records provided by the agency. As of July 7, two of those requests were listed as still pending. Walters took office in January 2023. Data for the year up to July 7 shows the department has received 326 open records requests and of those, 99 records requests had yet to be filled.
-Clifton Adcock

Rating system: 
True: A claim that is backed up by factual evidence
Mostly true: A claim that is mostly true but also contains some inaccurate details 
Mixed: A claim that contains a combination of accurate and inaccurate or unproven information 
True but misleading: A claim that is factually true but omits critical details or context 
Mostly false: A claim that is mostly false but also contains some accurate details 
False: A claim that has no basis in fact

The post We fact-checked Ryan Walters on misspent federal money and more claims appeared first on The Frontier.