One of the chief ringleaders of the 2018 teacher walkouts in Oklahoma has been arrested for lewd proposals to a minor, the Stillwater Police Department announced Wednesday.

Twenty-seven-year old Alberto Morejon, an 8th grade U.S. history teacher at Stillwater Junior High, was arrested following a complaint from a concerned parent and a subsequent investigation, a department release revealed.

The Stillwater Police Department reported receiving contact from the concerned parent on May 12, 2020, regarding his/her minor child’s relationship with a former teacher. An investigation was launched, and the case transferred to the Criminal Investigations Division for further follow-up.

The police report Morejon was contacting the victim through electronic means.

On May 19 detectives arrested Morejon for lewd proposals to a minor. The case is being presented to the Payne County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

In running the “Oklahoma Teachers-The Time is Now” Facebook group, Morejon drew national prominence for his role in launching the 2018 teacher walkouts and was a featured spokesman for the event, standing alongside officials with the Oklahoma Education Association during at least one press event.

The walkout occurred after lawmakers approved nearly $600 million in tax increases and provided the largest teacher pay raise in state history. Walkout leaders said it wasn’t enough.

In 2019, Morejon called for ousting as many as 35 Republican lawmakers, despite the fact most of those lawmakers supported teacher pay raises and school-funding increases.

Morejon has also been a prominent opponent of school-choice policies that allow children options other than their local public school, including a tax-credit scholarship program whose beneficiaries are mostly low-income children.

Legislation filed in 2019 that carried over to the 2020 legislative session—Senate Bill 407—would have increased the size of the tax-credit scholarship program while also providing millions in private funding to public schools.

Morejon was a vocal opponent of the proposal, tweeting on May 16, “For the 2nd straight year, SB 407 is dead!”

Children aided by the tax-credit scholarship program include children who have been victims of child sexual abuse or were previously living in an environment where sexual trafficking occurred.

On May 11, Morejon tweeted, “My kids are all emailing me and saying goodbye for the year... I wish I could have one more class period with them.”

Photo: Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman via AP