Dr. Shane Murnan, was named principal of John Glenn Elementary School in Oklahoma City, OK for this upcoming school year. Murnan’s alter ego by night is Ms. Shantel Mandalay, and performs as a drag queen for almost 20 years. He has also “won” the title of “Miss Gay Sonner Plains America” and “Miss Gay of Oklahoma USofA Classic.”
In 2001, Murnan, 52, was arrested and charged after having his personal devices confiscated by the police on suspicion of possession of child pornography and possession of drugs. At that time Murnan was a fifth-grade teacher at Will Rogers Elementary School in Stillwater, OK. Although Murnan lost his teaching job at that time, he escaped the child pornography charges and the case was dismissed after 2 out of 3 judges ruled the images on his devices had “no proof the people in the images were underage,” and the other said “there was not enough evidence.” Murnan did however serve probation for the marijuana charge in 2003 and his record was expunged. In 2007, Murnan began teaching again and had made his way up to a vice principal from 2020-2022. Murnan said, “I have always loved education and working with kids hoping to make a difference. Now I’m able to combine both my passion for drag and education and hopefully change a child’s life by letting them know it’s okay to be whoever you would want to be.”
Superintendent of Western Heights Public Schools, Brayden Savage, addressed concerned parents in a letter saying, “We understand the situation may cause concerns and questions among parents, staff and community members.” Also posting on social media, “This evening, the Board of Education approved the hiring of Dr. Shane Murnan for the Head Principal position at John Glenn Elementary. Recently the district has been made aware of previous charges that were dismissed more than 20 years ago. Dr. Murnan has been serving the field of education for more than 25 years and has an outstanding reputation. He comes highly recommended from previous supervisors, colleagues, and educators.” The letter and social media post went on assuring parents that having a “safe learning environment” were the district’s top priority.
Murnan stated, “Life is about experiences and choices. I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my lifetime and learned from them. I’ve also made some amazing decisions. One of those was becoming an educator.”
By-FZ
