A Norman High School English teacher resigned Tuesday evening after a parent complained that she violated sections of House Bill 1775.
Summer Boismier posted a QR code to the Brooklyn Library Books Unbanned in her classroom, which provides free e-books to titles that are restricted across the country.
A parent later reached out to the school to issue a complaint, accusing Boismier of violating HB 1775, which bans schools from teaching that a person, because of their race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, either knowingly or unknowingly.
HB 1775: Before and after | My Ss no longer have access to books by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or gender non-conforming authors because state leadership has spent the last year loudly labeling these books and their stories/perspectives as pornography, as indoctrination. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/cxClYZfCUi
— Ms. Boismier, M.Ed. (@MsBoismier_ELA) August 13, 2022
Boismier said after she asked for her status with the school, they informed her she was on administrative leave and not allowed to come back to school. Wes Moody, the executive director of communications and public relations for Norman Public Schools, said NPS policy for when a complaint is filed against a teacher is the teacher must leave the classroom while the complaint is investigated.
Furthermore, Boismier alleges the district tried to charge her personal days for the time she spent out of the classroom, “despite the fact that it was the district telling me to stay away.”
However, Moody contradicted Boismier, adding that she was not suspended or terminated.
“Given the serious legal consequences for teachers and districts regarding HB 1775, NPS has placed a renewed emphasis on ensuring our teachers and staff have reviewed their classroom resources to ensure all materials are age and content appropriate,” Moody said.
Earlier this month, the Oklahoma State Board of Education voted to demote Tulsa Public Schools’ and Mustang Public Schools’ accreditation status after the districts were found to be violating HB 1775.
“HB 1775 has served its purpose,” Boismier said. “Educators in our state’s public schools are now required to commit instructional malpractice in order to keep their jobs and feed their families.”
Boismier said she stated in her class that she disagreed with “attempts to restrict what students read” and that she would do her best to make her classroom an inclusive space.
In June, the Norman Public School Board of Education terminated Richard Cavett, a former history teacher at NHS. Cavett was terminated after releasing images to the media of shooting threats and racial slurs written on the walls of a girls bathroom. Staff members from NHS told FOX 25 reporter Wendy Suares that the district is “extremely retaliatory.”
Boismier said she does not feel like a victim, but she cannot stay as a teacher with the restrictions Oklahoma has placed on its classrooms.
“Make no mistake, the real victims here are Oklahoma public school students,” Boismier said. “This will not change until the voters of this state stop electing unqualified bigots to positions of power.”
