Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters stated on Tuesday that he plans to revoke an Ardmore City School instructor’s teaching certificate over her comments praising the individual who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
Walters made the announcement that he plans to remove Alison Scott’s teaching certificate in response to a Facebook comment made by the teacher agreeing with another user who also praised the shooter. After seeing the comment, Walters announced on X that the state was performing an investigation on Scott, calling it “unacceptable.”
“I’m not going to tolerate teachers cheerleading an assassination attempt from President Trump,” Walters told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Radical teachers unions have shown how much they hate President Trump… People on the radical left are responding to it. We will not tolerate this in Oklahoma classrooms, so if we see any of this from any teachers, their certificates will be pulled, and they will not be in the classroom any longer.”
The instructor’s comment on Facebook was in response to a post that read, “SAY Gent that just SHOT TRUMP’S Ear, I got $500 to put on your books for tryin to save us homie.” Scott then responded, “Same!! Wish they had better scope.”
“This is unacceptable. [The state department of education] is investigating. We will not allow teachers to cheer on violence against @realDonaldTrump,” Walters’ initial Tuesday statement on X read. “I have investigated it enough. I will be taking her teaching certificate. She will no longer be teaching in Oklahoma,” Walters’ said in a second post on X.
The superintendent’s office has verified that the account that made the comment is connected to Scott and that the process to revoke her teaching certificate involves voting on it at the next school board meeting, Walters told the DCNF.
Ardmore City Schools stated they are aware of the employee’s social media post and that they cannot comment on any actions due to this being a personal matter, according to a press release on their website. They stated that the district has begun a thorough investigation into the matter.
“Our parents don’t want this garbage going on in their schools. They want good teachers that are here to focus on academics, not social justice warriors,” Walters told the DCNF.
An educator from Bellarmine University in Kentucky was suspended Monday for comments regarding the assassination attempt on Trump. The Bellarmine University educator was placed on unpaid administrative leave after posting on social media next to a photo of Trump, “If you’re gonna shoot, man, don’t miss.”
The assistant vice president for communication at Bellarmine confirmed the screenshot of the post was real. The university posted a statement to X on Monday evening, noting that they are aware of the offensive social media post and can confirm the individual has been placed on immediate unpaid leave.
Ardmore City Schools deferred the DCNF to their press release.
