OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s top education official on Thursday ordered public schools to include the Bible in classes for grades 5 through 12, the latest attempt by conservatives to integrate religion into the classroom.
Civil rights groups and advocates of the separation of church and state immediately condemned the directive, with some calling it an abuse of power and a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The order, sent by Republican State Inspector Ryan Walters to counties across the state, states that compliance with the rule is mandatory and “immediate and strict compliance is expected.”
“The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,” Walters said in a statement. “Without a basic knowledge, Oklahoma students are unable to properly understand the founding of our nation. That is why Oklahoma’s educational standards require that the Bible be taught.”
Oklahoma law already explicitly allows Bibles in the classroom and allows teachers to use them in class, said Phil Bacharach, a spokesman for the state’s Attorney General, Gentner Drummond.
However, it is not clear whether Walters has the authority to require schools to teach this language. Under state law, individual school districts have sole authority to decide on instruction, curriculum, reading lists, classroom materials and textbooks.
The chairman of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations criticized the directive as a clear violation of the Constitution’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from “establishing” a religion.
“We strongly oppose any proposal to compel or require religion as part of the curriculum in public schools in Oklahoma or anywhere else in the country,” Adam Soltani said in a statement.
“Public schools are not Sunday schools,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said in a statement. “This is textbook Christian nationalism: Walters is abusing the power of his public office to impose his beliefs on every other child. Not while we’re watching.”
The policy is the latest salvo in an effort by conservative-led states to target public schools: Louisiana has required them to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms, while others are under pressure to teach the Bible and ban books and lessons on race, sexual orientation and gender identity. Earlier this week, the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked the state’s attempt to open the first state-funded religious charter school in the country.
Walters, a former public school teacher who was elected to office in 2022, campaigned on a “woke ideology” slogan, seeking to ban books from school libraries and get rid of “radical leftists” who he said were indoctrinating children in classrooms.
He has clashed with leaders of both parties over his focus on culture war issues, including transgender rights and book bans. In January, he also faced criticism for appointing a right-wing social media influencer from New York to a state library committee.
Sean Murphy, The Associated Press
