Walters Releases Memo to Legislature Confirming CCP Influence in Oklahoma Schools

Oklahoma City, Okla – State Superintendent Ryan Walters has publicly released a memo initially distributed to members of the Oklahoma Legislature which documents efforts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to influence schools in the Sooner State.

“I promised I would protect Oklahoma kids from indoctrination, including when it comes from hostile foreign governments,” said Walters. “The communist Chinese government has tried to insert itself into classrooms around the country for years, including here in Oklahoma. There is no excuse for some administrators to attempt to mislead the public, because we have the receipts.

I am asking today for legislation that will prohibit school districts from accepting funding from hostile foreign governments, require school districts to gather more financial information on organizations that they partner with, and require school districts to make that information easily accessible on their website.”

Chinese Minister of Propaganda Liu Yunshan said in 2010 “With regard to key issues that influence our sovereignty and safety, we should actively carry out international propaganda battles against issuers such as Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan, human rights and Falun Gong … We should do well in establishing and operating overseas cultural centers and Confucius Institutes.” The following year, Li Changchun, a standing member of the Politburo in Beijing, said “The Confucius Institute is an appealing brand for expanding our culture abroad. It has made an important contribution toward improving our soft powers.”

Thanks to the work of OSDE staff and others, an intentional obfuscation by the CCP to hide their involvement in our universities and K-12 schools was uncovered. The Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF), a Chinese-based organization sponsored by the CCP, is directly mentioned ten times in a contract that Tulsa Public Schools signed with the Confucius Classroom Coordination Office (CCCO) within the non-profit IL Texas Global. The contract authorizes the CIEF to provide funding to Tulsa Public Schools, requires the CCCO to report to the CIEF concerning the operation of the Confucius Classroom in Tulsa Public Schools, and requires the CCCO to submit plans, proposals, and reports for the Confucius Classroom at Tulsa Public Schools to the CIEF.

After the Trump Administration cracked down on Confucius Institutes, which were the College equivalents of Confucius Classrooms, the number of Confucius Institutes in the United States went from over 100 to just 10 currently remaining. After Tulsa Public Schools’ partnership with the Confucius Institute at the University of Oklahoma dissolved following the shutdown of the Confucius Institute on the campus of OU, Tulsa Public Schools still sought out partnership with CCP-backed entities through their new partnership with the CIEF.