AUSTIN, TX - JUNE 27: Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott attends a press conference celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows a Ten Commandments monument to stand outside the Texas State Capitol June 27, 2005 in Austin, Texas. A sharply divided Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments on government land, but drew the line on displays inside courthouses, saying they violated the doctrine of separation of church and state. (Photo by Jana Birchum/Getty Images)
Oklahoma’s schools superintendent, Ryan Walters, faced backlash following his announcement that every school in the state is required to teach the Bible and have copies in every classroom.
According to a memo that Walters sent to all school districts on June 27, Oklahoma schools must incorporate the Bible into their curricula in grades five through 12 effective immediately.
“This directive is in alignment with the educational standards approved on or about May 2019, with which all districts must comply,” he mentioned in the memo.
“The Bible is one of the most historically significant books and a cornerstone of Western civilization, along with the Ten Commandments,” he added. “They will be referenced as an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like, as well as for their substantial influence on our nation’s founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution. This is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.”
“Additionally, the State Department of Education may supply teaching materials for the Bible, as permissible to ensure uniformity in delivery,” Walters stated. “Adherence to this mandate is compulsory. Further instructions for monitoring and reporting on this implementation for the 2024/25 school year will be forthcoming. Immediate and strict compliance is expected.”
At a state Board of Education meeting on Thursday, Walters mentioned that the schools will “be teaching from the Bible in the classroom to ensure that this historical understanding is there for every student in the state of Oklahoma.”
He also said the Bible is “one of the most foundational documents used for the Constitution and the birth of our country.”
“It’s crystal clear to us that in the Oklahoma academic standards under Title 70 on multiple occasions, the Bible is a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our legal system,” Walters stated.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a nonprofit civil liberties group, said in a statement that the superintendent’s new Bible policy is “trampling the religious freedom of public school children and their families.”
“This is textbook Christian Nationalism: Walters is abusing the power of his public office to impose his religious beliefs on everyone else’s children,” Rachel Laser, the group’s CEO, mentioned in the statement.
Laser wrote that her organization is “ready to step in,” but she stopped short of promising legal action.
The group already sued to block a new law in Louisiana requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools.
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