Oklahoma state superintendent orders public schools to teach the Bible

Oklahoma’s state superintendent has announced that all schools are required to teach the Bible and the Ten Commandments, a dramatic move that reignites the conversation about the separation of church and state.

In a state board of education meeting on Thursday, state superintendent of public instruction Ryan Walters announced a new memo “that every school district will adhere to, which is that every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom to ensure that this historical understanding is there for every student in the state of Oklahoma in accordance with our academic standards and state law”.

Walters called the Bible “one of the most foundational documents used for the constitution and the birth of our country”.

He added: “The Bible is a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our legal system.”

Related: Texas Republican vows to pass bill on Ten Commandments in public schools

Walters is also behind the recent push to create a new religious charter school which, like public schools, are funded by taxpayer dollars. But in a 6-2 decision, the Oklahoma supreme court ruled that the contract between the Oklahoma statewide virtual charter school board and the religious charter school was unconstitutional.’

In his opinion, state supreme court justice James Winchester wrote: “Under Oklahoma law, a charter school is a public school. As such, a charter school must be nonsectarian. However, St Isidore will evangelize the Catholic faith as part of its school curriculum while sponsored by the state.”

Walters faced calls for impeachment last year after sharing a TikTok video posted by far-right influencers that incited violence, including bomb threats at public school librarians.

He has also used social media to rail against “woke ideology”.

“Democrats say it doesn’t exist. The liberal media denies the issue. Even some Republicans hide from it,” Walters said on Twitter/X in 2023. “Woke ideology is real and I am here to stop it.”

The move in Oklahoma come amid a growing movement across the country led by religious activists to push Christianity in the public education curriculum.

In June, Louisiana became the first state to pass a new law requiring all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments in classroom. Parents and civil rights groups are suing the state over the law.