OKLAHOMA CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) has announced intentions to mandate chapters of populist activist group Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in “every” high school in the state, in honor of the work of the organization’s slain leader Charlie Kirk.
Kirk was fatally shot on September 10 while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University. Two days later, authorities apprehended and accused 22-year-old Robinson of the shooting and detailed how he was motivated by his view of Kirk as “hateful.” Robinson was in a relationship with his male roommate, who was in the process of a “gender transition.”
On Tuesday, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced plans for “putting TPUSA on every high school campus in Oklahoma,” specifically through TPUSA’s “Club America” high school program, which promotes “everyday activism” on a range of issues.
“Charlie Kirk inspired a generation to love America, to speak boldly, and to never shy away from debate,” Walters said.
“Our kids must get involved and active,” he added in a news release. “We will fight back against the liberal propaganda, pushed by the radical left, and the teachers union. Our fight starts now.”
I am very excited to announce a partnership with @TPUSA to establish chapters in ALL Oklahoma high schools. Radical leftist teachers’ unions have dominated classrooms for far too long, and we are taking them back. pic.twitter.com/3sihJX3sUv
— Ryan Walters (@RyanWalters_) September 23, 2025
The OSDE announcement shared information on how students can apply to TPUSA to set up a chapter but did not offer specifics about what actions (if any) the government would be taking in cases where students or educators did not voluntarily set up a chapter. Walters later told KOKH he would move to punish schools that did not comply.
“I mean, we would go after their accreditation,” he said. “We would go after their certificates. So yeah, they would be in danger of not being a school district if they decided to reject a club that is here to promote civic engagement. Absolutely, they would be violating the law. They would be violating the rules set forth to them by our agency. So yeah, everything would be on the table in that scenario.”
The announcement has received pushback. Tulsa Public Schools board member and Democrat congressional candidate John Croisant told KGOU that creating new student clubs should be voluntary but “he can’t make us. Because that’s not a part of accreditation […] We have Fellowship of Christian Athletes, we have [See You At the Pole], we’ve got all sorts of clubs at schools that students can create on their own, but we’re not going to actively be pushing political organizations within our schools.”
On Thursday, Walters announced he is resigning his position to take a job as CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, so it is unclear if his successor will follow through on his plans for TPUSA school chapters.
