State ed board again postpones action on revoking license of former Norman teacher

Lacking a legal staff, the Oklahoma State Department of Education delayed — yet again — the teaching license revocation hearing of former Norman High School teacher Summer Boismier.

A line item, listed on the board's agenda under legal services, called for "discussion and possible action to resolve into executive session ... for the purpose of discussing possible action for a motion of continuance of Summer Boismier to the May 23 state Board of Education meeting."

Thursday, Cara Nicklas, the state board's attorney, suggested delaying action on Boismier's teaching license until the department could hire an attorney. The board voted unanimously to delay any action until its May meeting.

The fight over Boismier's teaching license has lasted for more than year. After House Bill 1775 became law, Boismier resigned from Norman High School in August 2022. In her classroom, Boismier had covered the shelves with red butcher paper, adding a sign written in black marker that read "books the state doesn't want you to read." She also posted a QR code to the Brooklyn Public Library, which gives students online access to a wide variety of books, including many questioned by school authorities.

State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters said Boismier was attempting to indoctrinate students with a “liberal political agenda" and asked that her teaching license be permanently revoked. Although Boismier said she did not endorse any particular book, state officials said some of the books in the library catalog contained explicit sexual content and racist concepts.

OSDE failed to prove Summer Boismier violated state law, assistant attorney general ruled in 2023

After she resigned, Boismier moved to New York. She now works at the Brooklyn Public Library and continues to fight her revocation proceedings. Last year, an assistant attorney general ruled the education department failed to prove Boismier had violated any state law. Boismier has also filed a federal defamation lawsuit against Walters.

Boismier's attorney, Brady Henderson, told The Oklahoman in January that he expected the matter to eventually find its way to district court.

"If the board and Walters want to proceed with the revocation, even though there is no evidence, if that do that, we will have to go to district court," he said.

Thursday, Henderson echoed his earlier statement.

More: Former Norman teacher who shared link to banned books still in license limbo

"The longer they force Summer to wait to know if they still are going to try to take her license, the more likely she is to seek help from a court to get things resolved," Henderson said. "At some point a court will have to step in because they (the state department) can't hold that (the revocation of her license) over her head for eternity."

Thursday's meeting was the board's first since the resignation of Bryan Cleveland, the Education Department's general council. Since then, the department's website lists no attorneys under its Office of Legal Services section. Only three employees are listed: Rebecca Budd, chief of high-performance systems and operations; Karrie Bales, investigator and Terrie Cheadle, chief executive secretary to the state board.

Following the board's vote, neither Walters nor his spokesman, Dan Isett, addressed the issue. Walters, who normally speaks with the media following the board meeting, was unavailable Thursday afternoon.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: No action on revocation of Summer Boismier's teaching license