Boismier resigned from her position following parental complaints of her sharing a QR code to access the Brooklyn Public Libraries “Books Unbanned” project.
After her resignation, State Superintendent Ryan Walters tweeted two letters stating he was revoking her teaching license, citing Boismier’s career and character.
The letters are almost identical, but one serves as a correction for the first letter which states Boismier was fired from her position at NHS.
Soon after the letters were tweeted, Boismier filed a lawsuit against Walters for defamation, false representation, slander, and libel.
In addition to Walters stating Bosimier was removed from her position, the lawsuit cites the allegation she distributed pornography to students and the allegation she caused harm and shame to the entire profession of teachers by “sexualizing her classroom.”
The lawsuit said the exact number of people who read or saw the allegations is unknown, but the initial posts were “reposted in excess of 500 times, quoted in excess of 400 times, and received over 1,500 replies.”
The ruling granting judgment summary of the lawsuit states the following:
It lacks specificity or precision, offers no concrete claim about what harm was caused or how the profession as a whole was impacted and is not verifiable in any objective sense. It reflects, instead, Walters’s rhetorical judgment about a public controversy in which both he and Boismier were outspoken participants. And in the broader context of political discourse surrounding H.B. 1775, the remark reads as subjective commentary, not a factual assertion susceptible to defamation liability.
The issues between Boismier and Walters began in August of 2022.
Boismier posted a QR code in her classroom that, when scanned, directed the user to the Brooklyn Public Library “Books Unbanned” project.
Books Unbanned, which provides access to books commonly banned from public and school libraries, states it is a “response to an increasingly coordinated and effective effort to remove books from library shelves.”
Coordinated efforts like Oklahoma’s House Bill 1775, now codified at Okla. Stat. tit. 70, 24-157, which sparked Boismier’s classroom action.
HB 1775 prohibits Oklahoma schools from teaching certain concepts related to race and sex.
Along with the QR code, Boismier posted a handwritten message that read, “Books the state doesn’t want you to read.”
Books like Genderqueer and Flamer, two books removed from libraries by HB 1775, were accessible through the QR code.
Boismier resigned days later following parental complaints to the school.
Walters released a statement regarding the judge’s decision.
“This is a monumental win for parents, students, and the integrity of our education system,” said Walters. “We have sent a clear message that Oklahoma’s schools will remain free from political indoctrination and that our children deserve an education that is focused on core academic values, not the promotion of controversial ideologies.”
The statement also said the win for Walters is part of an “effort to return schools to parents and safeguard children from ideological manipulation.”
Despite Walters’ claims of a monumental win, the judge added a “final parting note” at the end of the summary.
The Court does not suggest that Boismier or anyone else should be dissuaded from speaking loudly and passionately about causes in which they believe. She, like all others, is free to publicly disagree with this state’s politicians, subject to the protections and limits of the First Amendment.
Read the full summary below:
