Oklahoma’s ‘MAGA Loyalty Test’ Sparks Backlash
Teachers from New York and California seeking jobs in Oklahoma may soon face a political screening. State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced a mandatory exam, created by PragerU, to ensure applicants “do not hold extreme leftist ideology.”
“As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from radical leftist ideology,” Walters said, adding on X that the test would keep schools free from “liberal brainwashing.”
Sample questions include: the first three words of the U.S. Constitution, the role of religious freedom, and basic civics such as the number of Senators or the two parts of Congress.
Critics, however, slammed the move. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called it a “MAGA loyalty test” that will worsen the state’s teacher shortage. John Waldron, Oklahoma’s Democratic chair, said the policy shows the state isn’t serious about attracting quality educators.