In the United States, a particular state will require educators to undergo a ‘MAGA loyalty test’ if they are seeking employment from two specific regions.
Educators from New York or California who aspire to teach in Oklahoma must pass a test to demonstrate they do not possess ‘radical leftist ideology’.
Ryan Walters, the superintendent of public schools in Oklahoma, has stated that PragerU, an organization recognized for its conservative content, will administer this test.
“As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York,” Walters asserted in a statement.
Speaking with USA Today, Walters mentioned that the test’s implementation is imminent and further emphasized on X that it aims to educate students without ‘liberal indoctrination’.
“These reforms will reset our classrooms back to educating our children without liberal indoctrination,” Walters expressed on X.
“We’re proud to defend these standards, and we will continue to stand up for honest, pro-America education in every classroom.”
The Associated Press, which reportedly reviewed the initial five questions, states the test requires applicants to name the first three words of the US Constitution and discuss why freedom of religion is ‘important to America’s identity’.
USA Today reports that additional questions are included in the test.
Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, has criticized both the test and Walters, stating: “This MAGA loyalty test will be yet another turnoff for teachers in a state already struggling with a huge shortage.”
Additionally, John Waldron, the Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman, remarked that if such a test had been mandated when he relocated from Washington DC to teach in 1999, he would have concluded that Oklahoma ‘wasn’t serious about attracting quality teachers’.
“Teachers are not rushing here from other states to teach. We’ve got an enormous teacher shortage and it’s not like we have a giant supply of teachers coming in from blue states anyway,” Waldron noted.
Contact has been made with PragerU and the White House for their comments on the matter.