Oklahoma public schools must teach the Bible, state superintendent announces

“The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,” said State Superintendent Ryan Walters. “Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation which is why Oklahoma educational standards provide for its instruction."

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The Oklahoma State Department of Education is mandating public school teachers use the Bible in classrooms, effective immediately.

Public school superintendents were sent a memo on Thursday announcing the new rule.

“The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,” said State Superintendent Ryan Walters. “Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation which is why Oklahoma educational standards provide for its instruction. 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.”

The memo directs schools to "incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum." The superintendent said the directive is in alignment with curriculum rules approved in May 2019 and all districts must comply.

The new policy takes effect right away and "adherence to this mandate is compulsory," the memo states.

According to the Oklahoma Attorney General Oklahoma, law already allowed Bibles in the classroom and enabled teachers to use them in instruction.

Critics were already calling the move unconstitutional following Walters' announcement Thursday.

"Public schools are not Sunday schools. Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters has repeatedly made clear that he is incapable of distinguishing the difference and is unfit for office. His latest scheme – to mandate use of the Bible in Oklahoma public schools’ curriculum – is a transparent, unconstitutional effort to indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students," said Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

A separate move to bring religion into Oklahoma classrooms was deemed unconstitutional this week, when the state's supreme court stopped public funding of religious charter schools.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court determined the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board's 3-2 vote last year to approve an application by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma for the St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School violates the Establishment Clause, which prohibits government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.” The ruling also says both the Oklahoma and U.S. constitutions, as well as state law, were violated.

“Under Oklahoma law, a charter school is a public school,” Justice James Winchester, an appointee of former Republican Gov. Frank Keating, wrote in the court's majority opinion. "As such, a charter school must be nonsectarian.

The state superintendent's announcement also comes a week after Louisiana became the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom.

The legislation requires a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.

Opponents questioned the law’s constitutionality and vowed to challenge it in court. Proponents said the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance. In the language of the law, the Ten Commandments are “foundational documents of our state and national government.”

The posters, which will be paired with a four-paragraph “context statement” describing how the Ten Commandments “were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries,” must be in place in classrooms by the start of 2025.

Under the law, state funds will not be used to implement the mandate. The posters would be paid for through donations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.