Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters has resigned to become Chief Executive Officer of Teacher Freedom Alliance, a new national organization founded by the Freedom Foundation.

Walters made the announcement Wednesday night while speaking live on FOX News. His resignation will be effective Oct. 1.

“For decades, union bosses have poisoned our schools with politics and propaganda while abandoning parents, students, and good teachers. That ends today. We’re going to expose them, fight them, and take back our classrooms,” Walters said in a news release. “At the Teacher Freedom Alliance, we’re giving educators real freedom, freedom from the liberal, woke agenda that has corrupted public education. We will arm teachers with the tools, support, and freedom they need, without forcing them to give up their values. This is a battle for the future of our kids, and we will not lose.”

Walters has been a controversial figure as state superintendent. He has issued multiple mandates that have been ignored by several school districts across the state, most notably that the Bible must be incorporated into classroom instruction. He also became the center of controversy earlier this year when two state school board members said they observed a movie playing on a television in Walters’ office that featured nudity. The incident prompted an investigation by the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department, but Walters was cleared of any wrongdoing.

State officials, especially Attorney General Gentner Drummond—who is also a gubernatorial candidate— didn’t mince words about Walters’ pending departure.

“Ever since Gov. Stitt appointed Ryan Walters to serve as Secretary of Education, we have witnessed a stream of never-ending scandal and political drama. From the mishandling of pandemic relief funds that resulted in families buying Xboxes and refrigerators to the latest squabbling with board members over what was or wasn’t showing on TV, the Stitt-Walters era has been an embarrassment to our state. Even worse, test scores and reading proficiency are at historic lows,” Drummond said in a statement. “It’s time for a State Superintendent of Public Instruction who will actually focus on quality instruction in our public schools. Gov. Stitt used to say he would make us Top Ten, but after seven years we are ranked 50th in education. Our families, our students and our teachers deserve so much more.”

Senate Democratic Leader Julia Kirt echoed Drummond’s sentiment.

“It’s no surprise Ryan Walters has chosen his own personal ambitions over serving our students and teachers, like he always has. Republicans failed to hold him accountable to do his job and they should be embarrassed he’s left this office of his own accord. I am looking forward to working with the next state superintendent to return the focus to our students, teachers, and schools, where it should have been all along,” Kirt said in a statement.

Governor Kevin Stitt released the following statement Thursday morning: “I wish Ryan and his family the best in this next chapter. Oklahoma students remain my top priority, and with my first appointment to this role, I will be seeking a leader who is fully focused on the job Oklahomans expect: delivering real outcomes and driving a turnaround in our education system.”

Stitt will have to appoint a candidate to lead the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the state Board of Education through the rest of Walters’ term, which ends in January 2027. The governor has not yet announced a replacement.

“We’re honored to have Ryan Walters as the next CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance. Ryan is a proven freedom fighter who understands that America cannot restore its education system without breaking free from the grip of teachers’ unions,” said Aaron Withe, CEO of the Freedom Foundation “The Teacher Freedom Alliance offers educators a real alternative and supports them in their mission to raise free, moral, and upright citizens. Ryan understands that there’s no path to putting American education back on track that doesn’t involve eliminating the teachers’ unions from our classrooms.”

According to a news release, the Teacher Freedom Alliance provides educators with liability insurance, professional development opportunities, continuing education credit hours, and access to alternative curricula at no cost to teachers who choose to leave their unions. The Freedom Foundation says it is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting government overreach, defending workers’ rights, and protecting constitutional freedoms.