Former Norman teacher sues OSDE over teacher’s certification
11/19/2025 2:06pm
NORMAN, Okla. — A former Norman Public Schools teacher is suing to get her teaching license back after it was revoked by the Oklahoma State Department of Education in 2024.
In 2022, then Education Secretary and State Superintendent candidate Ryan Walters asked the State Board of Education to revoke Summer Boismier’s license.
Walters’ letter to the state board came after Boismier protested House Bill 1775, restricting certain race and gender topics in classrooms.
Boismier resigned in August of 2022 after she was asked to review the books in her classroom library to see which might “elicit challenges,” in relation to an Oklahoma law that restricts teaching about race and gender.
Teachers were asked to either box up the books they felt could be at issue, turn them around so that the spines faced inward or cover them up.
Boismier covered the books, labeling the cover with the title, “Books the State Doesn’t Want You to Read,” and placed a QR code linking to the Brooklyn Public Library’s books unbanned program, which offers students 13 to 21 access to a free e-library card.
The state board voted to revoke Boismier’s license in 2024.
In October, Boismier filed an 81-page federal lawsuit against Walters and the state board, seeking to get her license reinstated, collect damages and block parts of House Bill 1775.
“Federal law protects people’s right to disagree with government officials. But when Ms. Boismier held and expressed beliefs that differed from those of Walters and opposed discrimination and censorship, she was stripped of her teaching certificate, her career, and her ability to make a living. To regain her ability to teach and make a living, and to vindicate her constitutional and civil rights, Ms. Boismier files this lawsuit against the government and the officials who conspired to deprive her of those rights,” the lawsuit says.
On Nov. 10, the court ruled Boismier has until Nov. 24 to re-file a shorter, clearer version of the lawsuit, or the case will be dismissed without prejudice.
