Judge orders Oklahoma board to revisit teacher license revocation

Oklahoma County District Judge Richard Ogden ruled on Oct. 14, 2026, that the Oklahoma State Board of Education must decide whether to accept the findings from former Norman High School teacher Summer Boismier’s original license-revocation hearing or schedule a new hearing. The ruling did not restore Boismier’s teaching certification or settle whether it should ultimately be revoked.

The board’s choice remained pending after the ruling. Boismier’s certification remains subject to the board’s reconsideration, and the case returns to the state board for one of the two options Ogden identified.

Board rejected hearing recommendation

Boismier’s administrative hearing took place in June 2023. The administrative law judge who heard the case recommended against revoking her certification. In August 2024, the State Board of Education rejected that recommendation and voted unanimously to revoke the license.

Boismier challenged the board’s decision in Oklahoma County District Court. In explaining his ruling from the bench, Ogden said former state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ participation presented a conflict because Boismier’s defamation lawsuit against him was active during the proceedings. Ogden also said the board had not formally considered Boismier’s request to disqualify Walters.

Walters was one member of the board, which voted unanimously to revoke the certification. The board’s attorney argued that Walters’ single vote did not determine the outcome. The attorney also argued that evidence showed Boismier violated the law and was biased against Walters. Those were the state’s arguments; Ogden’s ruling directs the board to reconsider the hearing record or hold a new hearing, rather than deciding the ultimate revocation question.

Board to consider its next step

The defamation case against Walters was later dismissed in April 2025, after the board’s 2024 vote. Ogden’s stated concern, as reported from the hearing, concerned Walters’ participation while that case was active during the earlier proceedings.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education said it was surprised by the ruling. The department said its counsel and board counsel would present members with options for proceeding. As of the Oct. 14 report, the board had not announced whether it would accept the original hearing findings or schedule a new hearing.

That decision will determine how the revocation matter proceeds, but not necessarily its final outcome: Ogden did not direct the board to retain or revoke Boismier’s certification. Until the board acts, the ruling leaves the original revocation decision subject to reconsideration and does not return her teaching certification.