Oklahoma revokes license of teacher who gave class QR code to Brooklyn library in book-ban protest
The Oklahoma Board of Education has revoked the license of a former teacher who attracted national attention during the day increasing attempts to ban books in 2022 across the US when she covered a section of her classroom bookshelf with red tape reading, “Books the State Didn’t Want You to Read.”
Thursday’s decision overturned a judge who had advised the Oklahoma Board of Education not to revoke the license of Summer Boismier, who also had a QR code for the Brooklyn Public Library’s banned books catalog posted in her high school classroom.
An attorney for Boismier, who now works at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York City, told reporters after the board meeting that they would seek to overturn the decision.
“I will not apologize for sharing publicly available library access information with my students,” the former teacher posted on X. “My livelihood will never be as important as someone’s life or right to read whatever they want.”
Boismier’s attorney, Brady Henderson, and the office of Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters did not immediately respond to telephone messages seeking comment Friday.
Boismier, an avid reader with a passion for fantasy novels, had been teaching English for nine years when she was involuntarily thrust into the center of Walters’ campaign for state office in August 2022. She received threats on social media and was accused of being part of a broader movement led by teachers to influence children’s political beliefs. Boismier resigned shortly afterward.
She said at the time that she hoped to spark a discussion about Oklahoma lawmakers’ book restrictions and a new law bans classes on critical racial theory and other concepts about race and gender. Instead, she was called into a meeting with school administrators after a parent complained.
Walters, who ran for Oklahoma’s top teaching position when Boismier was teaching, had called on the board to revoke her teaching license in a 2022 letter shared on social media.
“There is no place for a teacher with a liberal political agenda in the classroom,” Walters had written, accusing her of providing “prohibited and pornographic material” to students.
Walters said at Thursday’s meeting that Boismier violated rules prohibiting instruction on topics related to race and gender. He told reporters she “broke the law.”
Boismier has always maintained that she did nothing wrong.
Public school teachers across the country continue to face intense scrutiny at the local and state levels as lawmakers in Republican-led statehouses continue to ban books and restrict curriculum on issues related to race, gender and sexuality, as in Iowa And Utah.
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Lathan is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-reported issues.