'I'm Very Anxious': Tulsa Teachers Voice Concern Following Statements Made By Ryan Walters

Tulsa teachers said they are worried about the threat of the school district losing its accreditation, and the comments made by the state superintendent.

Lareina Niland is days away from teaching a new class of third graders, but her back-to-school excitement isn’t all she’s feeling.

“I’m very anxious and very fearful of what could happen,” said Niland. “We could start school on the 17th and then come the 25th, at the next school board meeting, have something completely different.”

Niland said on top of finishing lesson plans and building relationships with parents, she also has to worry about what will happen with the district’s accreditation status.

She feels attacked by State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ comments about the district being deficient.

“I feel like as teachers, we’ve been made the enemy,” she said. “I feel like we have been pitted against parents and that’s not really my job. My job is to encourage parents to be a partner in the relationship we have teaching their children.”

Shawna Mott-Wright leads the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association, and said Niland isn’t the only teacher feeling panicked.

“It is freaking them out,” she said. “It’s making them feel uneasy, because they know the facts and they don’t seem to matter to him.”

Mott-Wright calls Walters’ presentation inaccurate, saying the data is being manipulated. She said a potential state takeover of TPS would have a ripple effect across the community.

“Our teachers are trying to get ready for the school year and this fearmongering and using our children as pawns is not OK,” said Mott-Wright.

Mott-Wright said she knows there is room for improvement, but she said the state superintendent’s nine-month deadline to turn things around isn’t feasible. She claims his plan to improve things is non-existent.