Serine
Kourtney Heard, the Chief Compliance Officer at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, resigned on April 4, 2025, citing major operational challenges within the agency.
Her resignation letter, which the department attempted to keep confidential, outlines serious concerns such as the manipulation of school accreditation and the deletion of employee performance reviews.
A Letter the Public Wasn’t Meant to See
The Oklahoma Voice obtained Heard’s letter from a former agency employee and confirmed its authenticity. The letter is now at the center of an open records lawsuit filed by Oklahoma Watch, which challenges the department’s refusal to release it under the Open Records Act.
Despite multiple inquiries, Education Department spokesperson Quinton Hitchcock declined to comment, citing restrictions on discussing personnel matters.
Heard’s Background and Concerns
Before joining the Education Department in April 2024, Heard worked for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and now holds a position at the state Teacher Retirement System, per her LinkedIn profile.
In her letter addressed to State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education, Heard wrote:
“Despite best efforts, I believe that without addressing fundamental operational issues and senior leadership attitudes, the agency will not be able to achieve the outcomes that Oklahoma students deserve.”
She emphasized that she personally witnessed actions such as accreditation manipulation and the removal of employee evaluations, but did not provide specific examples or affected parties.
Why Accreditation Matters
Accreditation is a core function of the Department of Education. Each year, agency staff conduct reviews of every public school and district in Oklahoma to ensure compliance with state regulations. These reviews culminate in the Board of Education formally approving or denying each school’s accreditation status.
According to Heard, failing to fix internal issues like these would prevent the agency from delivering meaningful results for students:
“Until these issues are addressed comprehensively…future initiatives will not bring the lasting improvements our children deserve.”
Legal Battle Over Transparency
The Education Department has refused to release resignation letters—including Heard’s—in response to open records requests. It argues that the documents are exempt under state law, especially if tied to internal personnel investigations. However, the agency has not confirmed whether such investigations are active.
In legal filings, the department claims that disclosing these records would violate employee privacy and serve only “idle curiosity.”
But Joey Senat, a media law expert and professor at Oklahoma State University, disagrees:
“Resignation letters often expose the kind of internal dysfunction that taxpayers have a right to know about. This isn’t idle curiosity—it’s about government accountability.”
The controversy surrounding Kourtney Heard’s resignation highlights deeper tensions within Oklahoma’s education system.
As the Education Department resists transparency, media outlets and legal experts argue for the public’s right to know about internal agency problems that may impact school oversight and student outcomes.
With legal challenges ongoing, the outcome could set a precedent for how resignation records and government transparency are handled across Oklahoma.