One US state would require teachers to take a ‘MAGA loyalty exam’ if they seek for jobs in two specific states.
Teachers from New York or California looking for teaching positions in Oklahoma will be required to undergo a test to demonstrate that they do not hold ‘extreme leftist ideology’.
Oklahoma’s public school superintendent, Ryan Walters, has stated that the test will be administered by PragerU, a non-profit organization recognized for producing conservative content.
“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 said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in an interview with USA Today, he stated that the test would be implemented shortly, adding on X that the exam would be a means of educating children ‘without liberal brainwashing’.
“These reforms will reset our classrooms back to educating our children without liberal indoctrination,” Walters wrote on X.
“We’re proud to defend these standards, and we will continue to stand up for honest, pro-America education in every classroom.”
According to The Associated Press, which has seen the first five questions, the exam asks applicants to list the first three words of the United States Constitution and explain why religious freedom is ‘essential to America’s identity’.
According to USA Today, the test also includes the following questions:
- What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? A. House of Lords and Commons B. Courts and Senate C. Executive and Legislative D. Senate and House of Representatives
- How many U.S. Senators are there? A. 435 B. 110 C. 50 D. 100
- Why do some states have more Representatives than others?A. They cover a larger geographic area. B. They have held statehood for a longer period. C. The number is determined by military presence. D. Representation is determined by population size.
The American Federation of Teachers’ President Randi Weingarten has criticised the test – and Walters – explaining: “This MAGA loyalty test will be yet another turnoff for teachers in a state already struggling with a huge shortage.”
Meanwhile, John Waldron, chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, stated that if he had to take the test when he moved from Washington, DC to teach in 1999, he would have concluded that Oklahoma ‘wasn’t serious about attracting outstanding 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,” he said.
