A group of parents, teachers, and ministers in Oklahoma is taking legal action to prevent the introduction of Bible studies into public school curricula. They have filed a lawsuit against State Superintendent Ryan Walters, aiming to stop his mandate for Bible lessons in grades 5 through 12.
Lawsuit Details
The lawsuit, filed with the Oklahoma Supreme Court, seeks to block the state from spending $3 million to purchase Bibles for this initiative. The plaintiffs argue that the mandate violates the Oklahoma Constitution by using public funds to support religion and by promoting a specific Protestant version of the Bible.
According to the lawsuit, Walters and the state Board of Education lack the authority to mandate the use of specific instructional materials in schools. Erika Wright, one of the plaintiffs and founder of the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition, emphasized the importance of parental choice in religious education. “As parents, my husband and I have sole responsibility to decide how and when our children learn about the Bible and religious teachings,” she said. “It is not the role of any politician or public school official to intervene in these personal matters.”
Support from Civil Rights Groups
Several civil rights organizations are representing the plaintiffs in this case, including the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
Walters has proposed buying 55,000 Bibles for public schools, each to include the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. However, the lawsuit alleges that the initial request for proposals to purchase the Bibles was tailored to match specific versions endorsed by former President Donald Trump, priced at $59.99 each. This request was later amended following feedback from state purchasing officials.
Ongoing Legal Challenges
This lawsuit marks the second legal challenge against Walters’ mandate. Another lawsuit was filed in June by a Locust Grove resident and is currently pending in Mayes County.
In response to the backlash, Walters took to Twitter, vowing to stand firm against what he described as the “woke mob.” He stated, “The simple fact is that understanding how the Bible has impacted our nation, in its proper historical context, was the norm in America until the 1960s, and its removal has coincided with a precipitous decline in American schools.”
Background on Ryan Walters
Walters, a former public school teacher, was elected in 2022 with a platform focused on combating “woke ideology,” banning books from school libraries, and removing what he described as “radical leftists” from classrooms. He first announced his Bible study mandate in June, aiming to implement it at the start of the new school year.
“Effective immediately, all Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum across specified grade levels, e.g., grades 5 through 12,” he said. Walters added that the Bible serves as a vital historical and cultural reference, stating, “Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation, which is why Oklahoma educational standards provide for its instruction.”
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