OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — In a filing this week, two former employees at the Oklahoma State Department of Education want a judge to get Superintendent Ryan Walters to answer their questions.
"My clients would like to get a solution going. That's what they've been striving for and it's frustrating," said Mark Hammons of Hammons, Hurst & Associates.
Hammons represents the two former employees, Cheryl McGee and Matthew Colwell. They listed Superintendent Walters and Chief Policy Advisor Matt Langston in their lawsuits.
McGee was fired in 2023; she was the executive director of school-based mental health. In her lawsuit, she claims that she was fired after being accused of sharing an alleged phishing email from higher-ups, among other reasons.
Colwell was the OSDE School Success Program Manager in the Division of Federal Programs.
"He was legitimately asking if this is legal," said Hammons.
Hammons referred to the teacher signing bonus from last year that essentially gave thousands of dollars to first-time teachers, but it had to get approval from OSDE. Many teachers received the money when they weren't supposed to and the agency proceeded to try to claw back the funds.
In Colwell's request for discovery, it was asked they admit that he worked as an employee at OSDE. They objected.
It was asked that they admit Matt Langston recommended the termination of Colwell's employment. They objected.
It was asked that they admit that before termination, Ryan Walters was aware that Colwell had raised questions regarding the legality of the teacher signing bonus. They objected.
It was also asked that they admit Walters was aware that Representative Andy Fugate (D-Del City) and the office of Attorney General Gentner Drummond knew about the legality of the Bonus Plan. They objected.
"Yes," said Rep. Fugate when asked if Colwell approached him about the legality of the Bonus Plan. "He reached out to me and said it appears that this plan is entirely illegal. I think the people of Oklahoma deserve to know that."
In a new filing this week, Walters and Langston seemingly didn't answer their discovery requests. The answers were mostly objections.
One of the first questions asked if they knew that the plaintiffs worked at OSDE. Their response was, "Defendant objects to this request because it seeks information regarding the official operations of the Oklahoma State Department of Education but was directed to Defendant in his individual capacity. Without waiving the foregoing objection, this request is admitted."
Most of the answers within the discovery requests submitted by the two former employees were answered with that or an answer similar.
"Ultimately they're going to have to provide that information at some point in time," said Hammons.
Hammons said that they have 21 days after the recent filing to respond and then a judge will decide what to do after that.
In August, a judge decided that the lawsuit could continue but that Walters and Langston would pay for the costs, if they lose, in their own individual capacity.
However, Hammons told News 4 that Walters still can ask the state to pay for it in the end.
"In the meantime, we're simply running up expenses that the taxpayers could be held liable for," said Hammons.
News 4 contacted Dan Isett, spokesperson for OSDE, to ask about the simple questions and why those couldn't be answered. Isett said, "This is ongoing litigation, so I can’t offer any further comment."
