Oklahoma Public Schools to Include the Bible in Curriculum

Oklahoma superintendent Ryan Walters announced in a board meeting on Thursday that public schools will incorporate the Bible into the classroom. The superintendent’s letter to all school districts said that the state would provide teaching materials and that they should comply with the policy immediately.

Walter’s decision to incorporate biblical instruction follows recent actions that encourage religious education in public schools. In early June, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill allowing students to be excused during the school day to receive religious instruction. Additionally, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed legislation in May that would allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. 

Once implemented, the letter from the superintendent states that Oklahoma public schools will be “required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments.” The Oklahoma attorney general also noted that state law already supported Bibles in the classroom and that teachers can utilize them. 

“In the Oklahoma academic standards under Title 70 on multiple occasions, the Bible is a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of the legal system,” Walters stated at the board meeting. 

Oklahoma kids will learn that the Bible and the Ten Commandments are foundational for western civilization. The left is upset, but one cannot rewrite history. pic.twitter.com/iZKhv9tKoc

— Superintendent Ryan Walters (@RyanWaltersSupt) June 27, 2024

The Oklahoma Board of Education’s meeting also discussed the recent Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that prohibited state funding for St. Isidore of Seville, a Catholic charter school. Walters called the verdict a “horrendous decision” and stated that the board would fight back to “continue to provide an opportunity for students to send their kids to high-quality schools.” 

Critics are appalled at Walter’s decision, deeming it unconstitutional. “Public schools are not Sunday schools,” Americans United for Separation of Church and State CEO Rachel Laser said. “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.”

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