An Oklahoma elementary school principal with a drag queen persona and who previously faced child pornography charges has resigned.
Shane Murnan, who performs in drag under the alias “Shantel Mandalay,” submitted his resignation letter as principal of John Glenn Elementary School to the Western Heights School district on Thursday, State Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters announced.
“Drag queens out in Western Heights. I’ve been demanding it since day one,” Walters said in the video posted on X Friday. “This is not what parents want for their children.”
“Our students will be protected from predatory behavior, and I have made it clear that I will not allow Oklahoma schools to become training grounds for drag queen propaganda.”
Murnan has served as principal at an elementary school in Oklahoma City since June 2023, Fox 25 reported.
The popular social media account Libs of TikTok initially revealed the activities of drag queen Murnan in August 2023.
A video of Murnan in full drag appeared as she read a children’s book during a story hour at the Metropolitan Library System on June 15, 2021, shared after she was hired, the outlet reported.
Library officials said background searches on Murnan’s past were conducted before the event.
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Social media posts later surfaced claiming Murnan had previously faced charges of child pornography.
Shortly after his hiring, the Western Heights School District announced that they were “aware of the previous charges that were dismissed over 20 years ago.”
Although the district did not clarify the nature of Murnan’s charges, users on social media began sharing local reports of an individual with the same name accused of viewing “pornographic images of children under the age of 18” while teaching fifth grade at another Oklahoma elementary school. school, according to Fox 25.
He resigned his position before later re-entering the profession.
Shortly after he was hired, the Western Heights School District announced that it was “aware of previous charges that were dismissed more than 20 years ago.”
Walters has been calling for Murnan’s resignation since September 2023, but the district has fought back, vouching for the principal’s “excellent” reputation.
Following the backlash over his past, Murnan broke his silence in an interview with NonDoc last September, saying he received “A lot of hate, considering I’ve been the same person for 26 years doing the same thing.”
“It’s not like I’m quiet about it,” he told the outlet. “I’m very open with who I am. I don’t hide who I am.”
Murnan also applied to become a church minister in 2014, according to the Christian Post.
When the public became aware of Murnan’s past and the school administration chose to keep him as principal, the district began receiving threats — prompting them to hire additional security and order Murnan to work off-site almost every day.
Murnan reads a children’s book during storytelling at the Metropolitan Library System on June 15, 2021, dressed in drag. Metropolitan Library System/Facebook
He was later placed on paid administrative leave, which, according to the outlet, cost the district an additional $65,000.
Walters called Murnan’s resignation “a necessary step to protect the children of Oklahoma” in his announcement Thursday.
Walters said he has launched an investigation into the district’s hiring practices.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
