For reelection as State Superintendent of Education or as Oklahoma Governor, has Ryan Walters earned reelection or promotion? This is a critical question Oklahoma voters decide in 2026.
Ryan Walters is in a unique candidate position, specifically, running for re-election as state superintendent of instruction or candidate for governor. This begs the question, does Ryan Walters merit a second term as state superintendent of education? Does Ryan Walters deserve to become the next governor of Oklahoma? I say absolutely not!
Ryan Walters campaigned on conservative reform in Oklahoma’s public education system and says he is strongly aligned with conservative principles and emphasizes parental rights, traditional values, and a focus on core academics. On some of that, he delivers, but there is a specific issue he fails miserably.
After Ryan Walters took his Oath as state superintendent of Instruction, he selectively addressed issues he considered politically safe while willfully ignoring the most crucial issue, the illegal expansion of school-based service into K-12 Medicaid primary healthcare clinics for all students, AKA school-based health clinics (SBHC). Worse, he deliberately ignored the voices of parents, taxpayers, and the grassroots.
The groundwork for the illegal expansion of school-based services into K–12 SBHCs was established by Joy Hoffmeister, the predecessor of Superintendent Walters. This agenda was completed by Superintendent Walters in June 2025. This serves as the foundation for my belief that Ryan Walters is underserving of being elected governor or re-elected as the state superintendent of instruction.
School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs), as federally funded entities, aim to supplant the role of primary healthcare providers by implementing pre-consent protocols, which grant expansive authority to school-based medical providers to make healthcare decisions, administer treatments, and conduct testing in the absence of parental presence or immediate oversight. This practice undermines parental rights, contravenes established medical ethics, and creates a power imbalance between medical professionals and minors.
Our future workplaces, parental rights, parental authority, health, and education are all significantly harmed by SBHCs. For more information read:
The Difference Between School-Based Services and K-12 School-Based Health Centers
What Is INFORMED Parental Consent?
OK Senator Dusty Deevers on school-based health centers and legislative action
Expanding school-based health centers (SBHCs) in Oklahoma is unlawful because it conflicts with the federal law, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), violates the Oklahoma State Constitution, and Oklahoma statute Title 210. Education.
The I.D.E.A. explicitly restricts school-based services to educationally necessary related services for special education students, facilitating their access to classroom instruction and compliance with the mandate of Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and does not extend to the provision of medical services beyond the Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
SBHCs violate the State of Oklahoma which conveys the primary purpose of public schools as being academic instruction, expressly excluding healthcare services from their purview. The inclusion of state-funded healthcare clinics on K-12 public school campuses is incongruent with this constitutional directive and constitutes an overreach beyond the intended scope of public education; and Title 210, Chapter 1, Subchapter 1 of the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s foundational values explicitly states, “academics are the primary purpose of public schools,” thereby affirming the obligation of K-12 institutions to prioritize educational objectives over ancillary functions.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education further asserts, “The ultimate responsibility of children’s education rests firmly upon the shoulders of their parents. All responsibilities of an educator and servant of public education are responsibilities delegated from these parents and guardians, and such responsibilities are to be taken with full sobriety and respect as is befitting the care and training of all children.”1 Any expansion of school-based healthcare represents a deviation from this principle and poses a potential encroachment upon the fundamental rights and responsibilities of parents.
As 2026, federal funds appropriated for the establishment of SBHCs expire, leaving financial sustainability on the state and local communities. Currently, Oklahoma is financially strained due to three Medicaid programs, specifically, the Oklahoma School Based Medicaid funds; SoonerCare, and SoonerSelect.
Let me close by stating that the reason I vehemently oppose and will campaign against Superintendent Walters running for a second term or becoming governor is because Walters has prioritized his political goals over conservative ideals, parental rights, traditional values, and academic advancement, specifically on SBHCs.
About the author: Deborah Campbell is a dedicated advocate, independent researcher, and the founder of No School-Based Health Services and Love My Liberties.
Based in Duncan, Oklahoma, Deborah is a wife, a mother of two adult children who received special education services, and a proud grandparent of six with a professional background in civil rights and special education law, Deborah has worked at the federal level with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, investigating cases of non-compliance in special education. In the private sector, she has served as a litigating paralegal in administrative hearings involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Additionally, she has worked as an independent contractor, assisting parents of children with disabilities in navigating special education law.
Her advocacy extends into grassroots activism, having organized multiple movements across Maryland, Florida, and Oklahoma focused on education, social, and political issues. As a special education consultant for ARC of Northern Virginia, she provided non-attorney advocacy services, educational file reviews, and professional resources for parents. Deborah’s volunteer experience includes CASA, the Oklahoma County Juvenile Bureau, and the Oklahoma City Red Cross Disaster Assessment Team. She has also served in emergency response roles, including as an EMT for the Glen Rock Fire and Ambulance in Pennsylvania and in the emergency room at Duncan Regional Hospital.
Deborah Campbell may be reached by email at nooklahomak12sbhc@gmail.com and more of her work is published on Substack here.