Oklahoma’s State Superintendent, Ryan Walters, views the initiative as a drive for academic excellence, despite critics contending that it breaches the state’s Constitution.
Oklahoma’s top education official announced on Friday that the state had procured over 500 Bibles for AP government classes, as a first step towards making the religious text available in every classroom in the state.
Ryan Walters, the State Superintendent, believes that having Bibles in Oklahoma’s classrooms would offer essential historical, cultural, and literary context for students in the U.S., ultimately enhancing academic standards in the state.
While introducing his Bible program, Walters emphasized that the Bible, alongside the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights, are fundamental documents in American history.
“It is imperative that our children understand the influence of the Bible on American history,” he remarked. “The exclusion of the Bible from classrooms by the radical left has led to a lack of comprehension of American history.”
The acquisition of Bibles is part of a broader initiative to supply Bibles and patriotic materials, such as the Pledge of Allegiance and U.S. founding documents, to every classroom in Oklahoma.
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However, this broader initiative has been met with legal challenges, with opponents arguing that it violates the Oklahoma Constitution by using public funds for religious purposes and favoring one religion over others by promoting a Protestant version of the Bible.
New Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism
Separately, Walters announced on Nov. 12 the establishment of a new Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism within the state’s Department of Education.
Walters stated that the office’s purpose is to safeguard the constitutional rights of teachers and students, citing a case in Skiatook where Bible quotes were removed from a classroom due to legal threats.
He connected the creation of the office to President-elect Donald Trump’s “Freedom to Pray” initiative and assured that Oklahoma would uphold the rights of students and teachers to engage in prayer.
Ryan Walters, Oklahoma state superintendent of public instruction, in Washington on Aug. 29, 2023. Alejandro Heredia/The Epoch Times
Despite facing opposition to his Bible program, Walters, who was elected in 2022 with a stance against progressive ideologies and explicit content in school books, remains steadfast in his approach.
In October, a coalition of parents, teachers, and clergy members filed a separate lawsuit challenging Walters’s policy of integrating the Bible into lesson plans for grades 5–12 in public schools.
The lawsuit also contests Walters’s proposal to allocate $3 million for Bible purchases, alleging that it violates the state’s constitutional principle of separation of church and state. Walters has disregarded the criticisms, affirming on the social media platform X that he will stand firm in his decision.
Amid the legal disputes, Walters continues to advance his broader agenda, aligning the goals of the education department with President-elect Donald Trump’s “Ten Principles for Great Schools Leading to Great Jobs” outlined in the Agenda 47 plan for a potential second term in office.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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