[1][2] He supports the political organization Moms for Liberty, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has described as an "extremist" and "antigovernment" group.

His response to the death of Nex Benedict, an LGBT Owasso High School student, generated national calls for his removal from office in February 2024.

[4] He generated further national attention in November 2024 when he requested teachers play a video of him praying for then President-elect Donald Trump.

The Governor's office responded "Secretary Walters is doing a great job fighting for parents' right to be in charge of their child's education and advocating for funding students, not government-controlled systems.

[16] On April 11, 2023, Governor Stitt appointed Katherine Curry to replace Walters after his reappointment confirmation stalled in the Oklahoma Senate after attorney general Gentner Drummond told lawmakers it was illegal for him to serve as both Secretary of Education and State Superintendent simultaneously.

Katherine Curry, resigned after only three months because Walters and OSDE wouldn't show her financial documents or return her calls.

[17][18] Walters ran for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2022 as one of four Republican candidates in a June primary alongside John Cox, William Crozier, and April Grace.

[28] In selfie videorecordings produced from his car and other public statements, Walters condemned what he called "woke ideology"; accused teachers of attempting to indoctrinate Oklahoma schoolchildren; referred to the Oklahoma teachers' union as a "terrorist organization"; and claimed that the separation of church and state was a liberal "myth.

[32] In June 2023, Walters spoke at the Moms for Liberty national summit in Philadelphia where he advocated eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and criticized teachers unions.

"[37][38] In September, Walters announced that the state would cooperate with conservative media group PragerU to provide curriculum to Oklahoma schools, a policy similar to one recently adopted in Florida.

"[44] In an interview, political science professor Melody Huckaby Rowlett said it is rare to see state officials speak at subcommittee meetings and "this is a way for his name to be heard in wider circles.

"[45] He also launched an investigation into Western Heights Public Schools for hiring a principal who is a drag performer in their free time.

[49] In January 2024, Walters appointed the far-right Libs of TikTok account owner Chaya Raichik to a statewide library advisory board, prompting bipartisan criticism.

[50][51] Walters's decision also resulted in protests from a number of parents, educators, and lawmakers who believe Raichik endangered students and teachers.

[54] Since Walters’s election, Oklahoma has dropped into the bottom 10 academic rankings in reading, math, and ACT scores according to The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

[55] Superintendent of TPS, Deborah Gist, spoke out against Walter's campaign arguing it had caused teachers to quit right before the start of classes.

[63] In August 2023, the Monday before a meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, far-right social media account Libs of TikTok released an edited video of a Union Public Schools ("UPS") librarian which Walters shared the following morning.

[70] In response, a spokesperson for Walters argued that by "seeking to remove a popularly elected constitutional officer, they represent a direct threat to our democracy".

[72] Organizations calling for his removal included Freedom Oklahoma, GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the Trevor Project, the NAACP, and GLSEN.

"[74] On August 13, 2024, state representative Mark McBride released a letter signed by several other Republican legislators calling for a special house investigation into Walters, the first step toward impeachment in Oklahoma.

Walters described the move as "unprecedented" and accused the letter's signers of partnering with Democrats, attacking Christianity, and wanting pornography in schools.

[84] On October 17, 2024 a group of Oklahomans filed suit in the Oklahoma Supreme Court against Walters and other defendants, in an effort to block the teaching mandate and the $3 million expenditure.

The bid documents required that "Bibles must be the King James Version; must contain the Old and New Testaments; must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and must be bound in leather or leather-like material.

[86] Drew Edmondson, a former Oklahoma Attorney General, said the request for proposals (RFP) was not genuinely competitive and might violate state law.