New security rule posted at the Capitol alarmed a group lined up for an OSDE meeting

People lined up for Thursday's board meeting of the Oklahoma State Department of Education were alarmed Wednesday night when a new rule was posted saying they couldn't remain on the Capitol grounds overnight.

Seating is limited in the small room where the board's monthly meetings are held, and only those who line up early have a chance to get in. In addition to posting the new rules, security guards used an extension cable to tie the doors to the OSDE building closed, although they were locked, as usual after business hours.

The new rules posted said no one would be allowed to wait outside the building between 11 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday. It was a dramatic change of enforcement protocol and spokespeople for both the OSDE and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which handles security for the building, wouldn’t say Wednesday night who asked for the change.

OHP spokesperson Sarah Stewart said Wednesday night that the Capitol Complex grounds are considered a state park that has a curfew. She said that’s an administrative rule.

As of midnight, however, no action to enforce the 11 p.m. - 6 a.m. curfew had been taken.

Small, and usually peaceful, protests often happen before board meetings. Last week, the Human Rights Campaign, which calls itself the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, said protests would take place this week at the Capitol, including before the state Board of Education meeting. LGBTQ+ advocates are protesting in the wake of the death of Owasso High School student Nex Benedict in February, one day after an altercation with other students inside a school bathroom.

The circumstances surrounding the 16-year-old’s death have drawn nationwide scrutiny, particularly over the measures schools take to keep transgender children safe. Nex, who was of Choctaw heritage, used the pronouns they, them, he and him, and their gender identity did not align with their gender assigned at birth. A summary autopsy report concluded Nex died by suicide.

Laurel Powell, the director of communications and programs for HRC, said she arrived at the Hodge Building around 5 p.m. Powell said there were only a handful of people standing outside the building and they were under an awning, trying to stay out of rain that was falling at the time, “not bothering anybody.”

Powell said a couple of people had chairs set up, and that building security people “freaked out. They snatched this poor guy’s camping chair, posted (the message about the curfew) … They were trying to signal that at 11 (p.m.), you’d better not be here. It was such an overreaction. There were people just waiting there, in the cold, outside, in the rain."

She added: “Nobody was doing anything. No one tried to go into the building. It was real mellow. The security guard wouldn’t answer questions, he just posted the thing and walked away.”

A larger crowd gathered upon hearing of the building being secured, including state Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, and local restaurant owner Sean Cummings, who frequently arrives at the Hodge Building in the wee hours so he can address Walters and the state board at the meetings.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Education Department security rules changed before meeting