Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters ordered the Bible and the Ten Commandments to be incorporated into the curriculum at public schools in the state.
During a State Board of Education meeting, Walters revealed that his staff had been “looking at Oklahoma statute” and academic standards in the state regarding this decision, adding that the Bible “is a necessary historical document” that can be used to teach children about the history of the United States, among other things.
“It is crystal clear to us that in the Oklahoma Academic Standards under Title 70, on multiple occasions, the Bible is a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our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,” Walters explained.
Walters continued to describe the Bible as being a “foundational” document that was “used for the Constitution and the birth” of the U.S.
“We also find major points in history that refer to the Bible, that reference the Bible,” Walters added. “We see multiple figures when….whether we’re talking about the Federalist Papers, Constitutional, conventional arguments, and Martin Luther King Jr., who use it as a tremendous impetus for the Civil Rights Movement.”
Walters continued to explain that a memo would be issued providing direction for schools in “every school district” of the state to “adhere to.”
“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,” Walters stated.
In response to Walters’ announcement, Rachel Laser, the president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State issued a statement pointing out that “public schools are not Sunday schools.”
The organization is described as being the “only organization dedicated solely to defending the separation of church and state,” according to the website for Americans United.
“Public schools are not Sunday schools,” Laser said. “Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters has repeatedly made clear that he is incapable of distinguishing the difference and is unfit for office. His latest scheme – to mandate use of the Bible in Oklahoma public schools’ curriculum – is a transparent, unconstitutional effort to indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students.”
This comes a week after Louisiana became the first state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms in public schools and at state-funded universities.
