Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters sharply criticized multiple school districts that declined his directive to hold a noon moment of silence on Tuesday in honor of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on September 10.
Walters ordered all schools to pause at midday, September 16, in honor of Kirk, who was killed during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. While some districts complied, several did not, saying they already observe a state-mandated moment of silence each morning.
“It speaks volumes that the same schools rushing to host pride parades, promote BLM rallies, and strip American flags from students can’t spare even a moment of silence for a man who dedicated his life to America, truth, and faith,” Walters said in a statement Tuesday, per local broadcaster KOCO News 5.
“Charlie Kirk inspired a generation to think for themselves, embrace free speech, and engage in meaningful debate — values that some school districts clearly don’t want their students to hear. His brutal murder was an act of political violence, and refusing to honor him reveals just how out of step these districts are with Oklahoma families,” Walters continued.
District officials framed their decisions around state law, which requires one minute of silence daily.
In letters to families shared with The Dallas Express, Jones Public Schools and Robin Hill Public Schools confirmed they would stick to their daily observance.
Robin Hill Superintendent Melissa Baughman stated in a correspondence to parents that “Adding another minute of silence at 12:00 PM, as requested by the state, would cause an unnecessary disruption to our schedule, as many students will be at lunch or recess during that time.”
Other districts, such as Oklahoma City Public Schools, Norman Public Schools, Mustang Public Schools, and Deer Creek Schools, used similar language, stating they would observe the singular state-mandated moment of silence and nothing more, according to KOCO.
Oklahoma law requires every district to hold “approximately one minute of silence each day for the purpose of allowing each student, in the exercise of his or her individual choice, to reflect, meditate, pray, or engage in any other silent activity that does not interfere with, distract, or impede other students in the exercise of their individual choices.”