Students protesting teacher they say pushes conservative views on them
KTUL Tulsa
5/13/2022
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Students at Memorial High School are calling for change.
Some, like junior Savannah Durbin, are even calling on the Tulsa Public School Board to fire a Memorial teacher.
Durbin said the teacher is blurring the line between church and state by sharing her religious and political beliefs at school.
"We were all yelling to fire her and get her out of the school," Durbin said.
Students' frustrations came to a head this week after they protested women's rights, Durbin said.
She said a Facebook post, made by teacher Amy Cook, circulated through students' social media.
Durbin said the post "went on to say that she was not going to sit here and let these liberal adults condone the violent and evil movement that we were supporting."
According to Durbin, comments that Cook has made to students' faces make them feel unsafe at school.
"She has a prayer wall in her room with Bible quotes all over it," Durbin said.
Durbin said a student put something up about gods and goddesses on the wall and Cook called it "non-Christian".
"That the person that put it up there should go to hell," Durbin said. "And that any student that is gay or any part of the LGBTQ+ community should go burn in hell, basically, is what she has said to students' faces."
Cook is listed as a science teacher on Memorial's website and has her own website as a 2022 Republican candidate for Oklahoma Senate District 34.
Durbin said around 50 students came out on the first day of protests and that the heat is impacting the number of students who are willing to continue to walk out every day.
"I think teachers should remain neutral and not talk about their beliefs in any political or religious way, and that we should just feel safe," Durbin said.
Durbin said she will continue to walk out until she sees change.
"I want to be a teacher, personally," Durbin said. "So, I just think to have safe, caring teachers in this school is really important and to have a teacher like this isn't OK."
NewsChannel 8 reached out to Tulsa Public Schools but did not get a response by the publishing of this story.
KTUL Tulsa
