Origin of the Lawsuit
Oklahoma Watch and Palmer filed the lawsuit on May 22 after the Department of Education denied an open-records request seeking the resignation letter of Kourtney Heard, who served as the agency’s chief compliance officer from April 2024 to April 2025.
In denying the request, the agency cited an exemption under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, claiming the document was tied to an internal personnel investigation and therefore subject to discretionary release. Oklahoma Watch said there was no known investigation involving Heard at the time.
Resignation letters are typically released by state agencies upon request. Prior to denying the Heard request, the department had complied with similar requests from multiple news outlets.
Letter Obtained Through Other Means
Another online outlet, Oklahoma Voice, later obtained Heard’s resignation letter from a source outside the agency after its own request was denied. The outlet reported that the letter accused the department of manipulating the school accreditation process and deleting employee review records.
“The challenges faced by the agency are significant,” Heard wrote, according to Oklahoma Voice, adding that without changes to operational practices and leadership attitudes, the agency would fall short of delivering what Oklahoma students deserve.
