Oklahoma superintendent orders all schools must teach the Bible and have a copy in every classroom

The boss of Oklahoma public schools has ordered teachers to incorporate the Bible into lessons and keep a copy of the holy book in every classroom. 

Republican State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters made the decree on Thursday.

'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,' Walters said.

Adherence to the mandate is compulsory and 'immediate and strict compliance is expected.'

'The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,' Walters said. '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.'

Oklahoma law already explicitly allows Bibles in the classroom and lets teachers use them in instruction, said Phil Bacharach, a spokesman for state Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

It's not clear if Walters has the authority to mandate that schools teach it and critics have spoken out against the order.

The head of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations slammed the directive as a clear violation of the Constitution's Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from 'establishing' a religion.

'We adamantly oppose any requirements that religion be forcefully taught or required as a part of lesson plans in public schools, in Oklahoma, or anywhere else in the country,' Adam Soltani said.

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State: 'Public schools are not Sunday schools.

'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.' 

Walters edict is similar to the new Louisiana law that requires all public K-12 classrooms and state-funded universities to display a poster-sized version of the Ten Commandments by next year.

A former public school teacher who was elected to his post in 2022, Walters ran on a platform of fighting 'woke ideology,' banning books from school libraries and getting rid of 'radical leftists' who he claims are indoctrinating children in classrooms.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court shut down his efforts to allow the state Board of Education to determine what books are available in public school libraries in June.

The board, led by Walters, had recommended the suburban school district remove two books - 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini and 'The Glass Castle' by Jeannette Walls - after new rules were approved in June 2023 that banned books and other media that contain pornographic and sexualized content.

Edmond Public Schools sued over those efforts and the Supreme Court ruled in favor of local school boards retaining the right to make those decision.

In April, Walters ordered schools to 'completely ignore' Joe Biden 's new rules promoting children's LGBTQ rights.

Walters slammed the President's Title IX overhaul as 'the most devastating attack on women's rights in our country's history.'

'In Oklahoma, we don't bend to the senseless will of Biden and his posse eradicating women's rights and putting women in danger

'This is why I've instructed every superintendent in my state to completely ignore Biden's new Title IX changes that allow males to roam in female locker rooms, dorms, and bathrooms — places where women should feel safe.'