The principal of John Glenn Elementary School in Oklahoma City has offered his resignation after a months-long controversy surrounding him and his after-work activities. Shane Murnan, who performs as a drag queen under the name Shantel Mandalay, offered his resignation to the Western Heights School District on January 26. Official acceptance of the resignation is expected when the district votes on it during its next meeting on February 12.
Murnan’s outside work activity was originally exposed by the X account Libs of TikTok in August, when it posted a picture of Murnan in drag and also noted that the principal had been previously arrested on child pornography charges. The porn charges reportedly were dropped for lack of evidence.
“Meet Shane Murnan- elementary principal at @wh_isd,” the post on X read. “Shane is a drag queen who performs for children and reads books about gender to kids while dressed in drag. Shane was also previously arrested on child porn charges. Would you want this person in charge of your kid’s school?”
The X post attracted the attention of Oklahoma State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, who immediately called for the 52-year-old Murnan to resign and began an investigation of Murnan’s teaching certificate and the district’s hiring practices.
According to Walters, parents were immediately upset by the revelation.
“I’ve heard from parents in Western Heights and throughout Oklahoma who are deeply concerned about the message being sent by a district that would put a drag queen in charge of one of our schools. It is simply unacceptable,” Walters said in announcing the investigation. “Mr. Murnan has been clear that he is ‘very open’ about his alter ego and has shared it not only on publicly available social media but has performed in public libraries under a very thin veil of would-be anonymity. These are not the actions of a school leader concerned about the well-being of children.”
Initially, at least, the school district supported Murnan amid the backlash.
“Recently, information began circulating about Dr. Murnan and the charges he faced more than 20 years ago for an alleged crime involving child pornography. According to news reports at the time, those charges were dismissed by the court, and the record of the charges has been expunged,” read a district statement from superintendent Brayden Savage. “Since that time, Dr. Murnan has continued to be certified as an elementary school teacher and principal, including having his certificate renewed in April of 2023 and signed by State Superintendent Ryan Walters. The State Department of Education would have conducted another felony background check upon renewing his certification.”
According to Murnan, the district’s support began to wane after a meeting between Savage and Walters in December, and he was given an ultimatum to resign or be fired.
“It really makes me angry because all this time, [Savage] told me she was supporting me and she wasn’t going to fire me,” Murnan said on NonDoc. “She supported me multiple times with multiple people as witnesses in the room. And then she [said] I have a choice to be terminated or resign.”
But Walters says Murnan’s departure from the school, whether forced or not, is necessary.
“Exposing Murnan and forcing the resignation is a necessary step to protect kids in Oklahoma. Our students will be protected from predatory behavior, and I have been crystal clear that I will not allow Oklahoma schools to become a training ground in drag queen propaganda,” Walters said.
Walters recently appointed Chaya Raichik, the founder of Libs of TikTok, to the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Library Media Advisory Committee.
