Oklahoma public schools will be required to teach students the Bible as a “necessary historical document” — a week after Louisiana directed the Ten Commandments be posted in every classroom.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters revealed the controversial edict, which critics argue is unconstitutional and could end up being fought in court.
“It is essential that our kids have an understanding of the Bible and its historical context,” the Republican told reporters.
The Bible, he added, is “a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our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.”
The Bible lessons will be taught in grades five through 12.
Walter’s directive quickly earned condemnation.
“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 religious beliefs on everyone else’s children. Not on our watch.”
Preparing for the blowback, Walters tweeted, “The left is upset, but one cannot rewrite history.”
The education boss, who was elected in 2022, told districts that the new Bible directive is compulsory and “immediate and strict compliance is expected” in a
While Oklahoma law already allows Bibles in the classroom and teachers to use them in instruction, according to the state attorney general’s office, it’s unclear if Walters has the power to force schools to teach the religious book.
Individual school districts have the exclusive authority to determine instruction, curriculum and textbooks, per state law.
The decision in Oklahoma comes after Louisiana enacted a first-in-the-nation law that mandates the Ten Commandments be put up in every classroom.
That move was later emphatically endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
“I LOVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, AND MANY OTHER PLACES, FOR THAT MATTER. READ IT — HOW CAN WE, AS A NATION, GO WRONG???” he wrote on Truth Social Friday.
“THIS MAY BE, IN FACT, THE FIRST MAJOR STEP IN THE REVIVAL OF RELIGION, WHICH IS DESPERATELY NEEDED, IN OUR COUNTRY.”
With Post wires