Oklahoma Acquires Over 500 Bibles for Classroom Use
State Superintendent Ryan Walters views the initiative as a drive for academic excellence, although critics argue that it goes against the state’s Constitution.
Oklahoma’s chief education official stated on Friday that the state has procured over 500 Bibles for AP government classes as a measure toward making the religious text available in every classroom in the state.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters emphasized that introducing Bibles in Oklahoma’s classrooms would offer essential historical, cultural, and literary context for U.S. students, ultimately enhancing academic standards in the state.
While introducing his Bible initiative, Walters highlighted the importance of the Bible, alongside the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights, as foundational documents in American history.
“It is crucial for our children to grasp the impact of the Bible on American history,” he said. “There is a clear void in understanding American history due to the exclusion of the Bible from classrooms by the extreme left.”
The Bible acquisitions are part of a larger campaign to supply Bibles and patriotic materials, including the Pledge of Allegiance and U.S. founding documents, to every classroom in Oklahoma.
Related Stories
This broader effort has faced legal opposition, with opponents contending that it breaches the Oklahoma Constitution’s prohibition on using public funds for religious purposes and exhibits bias toward a particular religion by favoring a Protestant version of the Bible.
New Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism
Additionally, Walters announced on Nov. 12 the establishment of a new Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism within the state’s Department of Education.
Walters explained that the purpose of the office is to safeguard the constitutional rights of teachers and students, citing an incident in Skiatook where Bible quotations were removed from a classroom due to legal threats.
Linking the office to President-elect Donald Trump’s “Freedom to Pray” initiative, Walters declared that Oklahoma would guarantee the protection of students’ and teachers’ rights to prayer.
Ryan Walters, Oklahoma state superintendent of public instruction, in Washington on Aug. 29, 2023. Alejandro Heredia/The Epoch Times
Walters, who was elected in 2022 with a stance against progressive ideologies and the prohibition of books with pornographic or sexual content in schools, has encountered opposition to his Bible initiative.
In October, a coalition of parents, educators, and clergy filed a separate lawsuit challenging Walters’s policy of integrating the Bible into public school lesson plans for grades 5–12.
The lawsuit also contests Walters’s $3 million plan for Bible purchases, alleging that it violates the state’s constitutional separation of church and state. Walters has rejected the criticism, stating on the social media platform X that he “will never waver.”
Despite legal obstacles, Walters is persisting with his broader agenda, aligning the education department’s objectives with President-elect Donald Trump’s “Ten Principles for Great Schools Leading to Great Jobs” as detailed in the president-elect’s Agenda 47 plan outlining his second-term proposals.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
