Okla. parents, clergy sue state official over Bible in public schools mandate
A group of parents, teachers and clergy representing different faith groups have filed a lawsuit against Oklahoma education officials over a requirement to have the Bible taught in public schools.
Earlier this year, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters issued a directive to public schools requiring them to incorporate the Bible into their curriculum. He also announced plans to spend $3 million to purchase Bibles for schools.
Filed last week in the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the complaint alleges that Walters’ action “interferes with the parents’ ability to direct the religious and moral upbringing of their children” and “violates the Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act.”
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“OAPA requires detailed procedures to be followed to issue a rule, including provision of notice and a comment period. Superintendent Walters made no effort to follow these procedures,” reads the complaint.
It also claims that the requirement for Bible teaching in public schools undermines the authority of “individual school districts” to “select the instructional materials that they will use.”
The lawsuit names Walters, members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, and members of the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services as defendants.
Groups representing the plaintiffs include the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Andrew Seidel, vice president of strategic communications with Americans United, told The Christian Post that he believed it was “clear Oklahomans are united against Walters’ extreme agenda.”
“The vast majority of Oklahomans, from all walks of life and all religions, are united in supporting inclusive public schools free of indoctrination,” said Seidel. “Teachers, parents, students, taxpayers, indigenous people who are all too familiar with the history of government schools preaching the Bible, LGBTQ+ families and students, students with disabilities, Christians, atheists, and so many more want to preserve their freedom by keeping church and state separate.”
The Christian Post reached out to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, with a spokesman emailing a statement from Walters declaring that “Oklahomans will not be bullied by out-of-state, radical leftists who hate the principles our nation was founded upon.”
“The simple fact is that understanding how the Bible has impacted our nation, in its proper historical and literary context, was the norm in America until the 1960s and its removal has coincided with a precipitous decline in American schools,” Walters stated.
“It is not possible for our students to understand American history and culture without understanding the Biblical principles from which they came, so I am proud to bring back the Bible to every classroom in Oklahoma. I will never back down to the woke mob, no matter what tactic they use to try to intimidate Oklahomans.”
In July, Norman Public Schools Superintendent Nick Migliorino told The Norman Transcript that his school district was not going to adhere to Walters’ mandate on Bibles in classrooms.
“Norman Public Schools is not going to have Bibles in our classrooms, and we are not going to require our teachers to teach from the Bible," Migliorino said at the time. "The standards are clear, and our curriculum is very clear. And we're not going to deviate from that. I don't know. I'm just going to be direct on that one."
For their part, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Department of Education denounced the school district’s decision and the support it got from some elected officials as "anti-knowledge."
"Oklahoma parents have demanded schools get back to basics, eliminate woke indoctrination, and focus on a solid background in history and civics. The Bible is foundational to American history and culture, and it is academic malpractice not to include it in instructional materials," stated the OSDE spokesperson to the Oklahoma City-based KOKH Fox 25.
"Democrats not only stand against America's Christian heritage, they are anti-knowledge. I'm not surprised the most inconsequential caucus doesn't want the Bible in the classrooms."
In his comments to CP, Seidel also claimed that “Walters is dividing schoolchildren along religious lines” and warned that this “increases the risk of bullying and violates the religious freedom of everyone.”
“The rules for public schools are clear,” he continued. “They can teach about religion, but not preach it as divine truth; they can educate about religion but not indoctrinate children into one religion.”
“Walters’ agenda is coercive and targets captive audiences of school children. Study after study and case after case shows that when Christian nationalists push for public schools to teach the Bible, they fail to meet constitutional requirements and end up religiously coercing students. Families whose religious freedom has been violated often have no choice but to challenge them in court.”
