It was not immediately clear how the Bible would be taught or what instructional standards around it would require. A memo to Oklahoma school districts from Walters’s office said schools “are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments,” into curriculum for fifth through 12th grades, effective immediately.
The move comes a week after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed a law directing all public schools in the state to display the Ten Commandments, religious and ethical directives handed down to the prophet Moses in the Bible. Opponents have sued to stop the statute’s implementation.
In his memo, Walters wrote that Oklahoma’s mandate “is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.” He said the state’s Education Department may supply teaching materials for the Bible “to ensure uniformity in delivery.”
“Immediate and strict compliance is expected,” the memo said.
Tensions have been high recently around whether and how religion is discussed in public schools. In addition to the Louisiana law, the Oklahoma Supreme Court this week rejected a proposed state-financed Catholic charter school, saying the first-of-its-kind religious public school violated the state and U.S. constitutions. Meanwhile, more than a dozen states have introduced bills to put chaplains in public schools. And as school voucher programs expand rapidly in Republican-run states, most of the funds — billions in taxpayer dollars — are directed to religious schools.
On Thursday, critics of Oklahoma’s new requirement called the move unconstitutional.
“Requiring a Bible in every classroom does not improve Oklahoma’s ranking of 49th in education,” Oklahoma state Rep. Mickey Dollens (D) said in a statement, referring to a recent report. “The State Superintendent should focus on educating students, not evangelizing them.”
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a nonprofit that advocates for the disassociation of religion from government, signaled that it is prepared to fight the directive.
“Americans United will do everything in our power to stop Christian Nationalists like Ryan Walters from trampling the religious freedom of public school children and their families,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of the advocacy group, said in a statement. “This nation must recommit to our foundational principle of church-state separation before it’s too late. Public education, religious freedom and democracy are all on the line.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
