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Ryan Walters names Libs of TikTok creator to Oklahoma school library panel – Arkansas Advocate

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Ryan Walters names Libs of TikTok creator to Oklahoma school library panel – Arkansas Advocate


OKLAHOMA CITY — An out-of-state conservative running the far-right-wing social media account Libs of TikTok will sit on an Oklahoma committee reviewing school library content.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced on Tuesday he named Chaya Raichik to a Library Media Advisory Committee at the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Over the past year, Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education passed new rules that prohibit pornographic material and sexualized content from school libraries. Violating the rules could result in an accreditation downgrade for a district.

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The Library Media Advisory Committee reviews books in question to give recommendations on whether they contain banned content.

The volunteer committee is made up of parents, current or retired librarians, and English literature teachers, according to the state Education Department. And now it will add Raichik, a Brooklyn real estate agent who became a major voice in conservative social media channels.

She celebrated her committee appointment in a Tuesday social media post in all capital letters: “WE WILL GET PORN OUT OF SCHOOLS!”

Her account is known for calling out “pornographic” content in schools and for making anti-LGBTQ+ posts. Two Oklahoma school districts received bomb threats after being highlighted on Libs of TikTok.

“If you’re going to sexualize kids and introduce really inappropriate subjects in school, I’m going to call it out,” Raichik previously told Oklahoma Voice.

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Walters has shared Libs of TikTok posts multiple times and met with Raichik in September. He said she has a “much-needed and powerful voice” and referred to her social media presence as a “tremendous platform that will benefit Oklahoma students and their families.”

“Chaya is on the front lines showing the world exactly what the radical left is all about — lowering standards, porn in schools, and pushing woke indoctrination on our kids,” Walters said in a statement. “Because of her work, families across the country know just what is going on in schools around the country. Her unique perspective is invaluable as part of my plan to make Oklahoma schools safer for kids and friendly to parents.”

Union Public Schools faced several days of bomb threats in August after Libs of TikTok shared a video from a district librarian, who satirically posted about pushing a “woke agenda.”

Libs of TikTok left out context from the video — a caption where the librarian stated her “woke agenda” was to teach children to love books and be kind. Walters shared the Libs of TikTok post on his own social media, stating “Woke ideology is real and I am here to stop it.”

The bomb threats against the Tulsa district stoked outrage throughout the state and prompted state lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, to urge elected officials to tone down political rhetoric around education.

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An Education Department spokesperson, Dan Isett, said Raichik isn’t responsible for the threats.

“The people who post bomb threats are the people who post bomb threats,” Isett said.

It was only a few weeks later that Walters and Raichik raised the alarm about another Oklahoma school district — Western Heights Public Schools.

They complained an elementary principal in the southwest Oklahoma City district performed as a drag queen in his spare time. Raichik also drew attention to a possession of child pornography charge the principal had faced two decades earlier.

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That charge had been dropped and expunged from the principal’s record.

The episode put Western Heights and the principal at the center of a national firestorm, as Walters called for him to be fired while speaking on Fox News’ prime-time broadcast. The district also received a bomb threat, but Oklahoma City police determined it wasn’t credible.

Both Walters and Raichik have vocally opposed transgender people and their presence in schools.

The state superintendent also targeted books with LGBTQ+ themes. He said graphic novels like “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe and “Flamer” by Mike Curato contain explicit sexual images and shouldn’t be available to students.

His administration called for 190 books centering LGBTQ+ perspectives to be reviewed. The titles came from the American Library Association’s Rainbow Book List.

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School library content also appears to be a concern among the state Legislature. Two bills on the topic have been filed for consideration in the coming legislative session.

Senate Bill 1208 from Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, would prohibit pornographic content in school libraries and would require all school districts to submit a list of their library materials to the state Department of Education.

SB 1888 from Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, would ban books on the study of sex, sexual lifestyles or sexual activity and books that are “predominantly sexual in nature” from public schools.

This story was originally published by the Oklahoma Voice, which is a part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: [email protected]. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and Twitter.

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No. 14 Oklahoma Rallies for Win Over Oral Roberts Behind Willits’ Grand Slam

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No. 14 Oklahoma Rallies for Win Over Oral Roberts Behind Willits’ Grand Slam


NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.

But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.

Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6. 

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The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.

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In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.

The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.

Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.

Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.

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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.

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Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.

Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings. 

After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.

OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.

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Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.

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The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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Did Oklahoma Stay Atop the Polls After Tumultuous Week?

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Did Oklahoma Stay Atop the Polls After Tumultuous Week?


NORMAN — After an up-and down week that saw Oklahoma drop the lone Bedlam match of the season, and then split two tight games with Arkansas before blowing out the Razorbacks on Sunday, the Sooners remained No. 1 in the NFCA/Go Rout coaches’ poll released Tuesday.

But there’s far from a consensus.

Oklahoma received 12 first-place votes — the same total they had last week — but five other teams received first-place votes.

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Texas Tech remained No. 2 with four four-place votes and Alabama No. 3 with seven. Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 4 with four first-place votes, followed by Florida with two and UCLA with two.

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Texas is No. 7, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State.

Texas A&M, the Sooners’ opponent for the final regular-season weekend in two weeks, comes in at No. 11.

Other SEC teams include Georgia at No. 15, Mississippi State at No. 17 and LSU at No. 20.

OU hosts the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series beginning Friday.

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Other Sooners’ opponents this season in the polls include No. 14 Duke, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Arizona, No. 24 Arizona State and No. 25 Washington.

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Oklahoma also remained in the top spot in the D1Softball poll, with Alabama No. 2 there followed by Texas Tech, Nebraska at Texas.

The Sooners dropped a spot in the Softball America poll, with Nebraska elevating to No. 1 behind the two-way stardom of former OU standout Jordy Frahm (formerly Jordy Bahl).

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Frahm is 13-4 with a 1.36 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings in the circle and hitting .440 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs. Another former Sooners player, Hannah Coor, is among the Cornhuskers’ regulars as well.

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The Sooners have 158 home runs, just three away from tying their own season record in the category, but UCLA has closed the gap in a major way, sitting just four behind Oklahoma.

OU freshman sensation Kendall Wells leads the nation with 34 home runs, three ahead of UCLA’s Megan Grant. Wells tied Jocelyn Alo‘s program record for home runs in a season with her home run in Sunday’s win.

The Sooners host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. Tuesday in their final non-conference game of the season before opening the series against Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Love’s FIeld.

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Putnam City West moves to virtual learning after student incident

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Putnam City West moves to virtual learning after student incident


PUTNAM CITY, Okla. –

Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.

District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.

Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.

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District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.

What we know

Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:

All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.

Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.

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We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.

Putnam City Schools

All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.

Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.

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The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.

School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.

This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.





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