Oklahoma Superintendent Under Fire for Reintroducing Religious Teachings in Schools

Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters is spearheading a controversial mandate to reintroduce the Bible in public school classrooms, one of several faith-based moves that have led to roughly 30 lawsuits from various groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 

"We're going to continue to stand up against these radical left-wing groups and say, listen, the Bible, in its historical context, belongs in the classroom," Walters said. "And frankly, what have we seen since the Bible was removed from the classroom? Society, in almost every way, has gone downhill."

Walters believes that bringing the Bible back into Oklahoma classrooms is part of restoring foundational values in education that were removed by the Supreme Court decades ago.

"We're not pushing individuals to be Christian. We're not pushing a religion on them. What we are doing is making sure that our kids understand American history, and that is essential for our kids to understand what made America great," he added.

The son of a pastor and a former history teacher, Walters has taken the national spotlight for mandating Oklahoma teachers to use a physical copy of the Bible during student instruction, alongside the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Ten Commandments. He insists these documents are crucial for a proper education.

Walters has also faced scrutiny over a recent decision requiring that the Bibles be the King James Version, leather-bound, and include the U.S. Constitution and the Pledge of Allegiance.

 The only Bibles that met the criteria were endorsed by former President Donald Trump. In a statement, Walters denied any preference for a particular organization, noting that such favoritism would violate state law.

"Okay, you don't like Christianity. So, you're not going to tell kids that the Pilgrims came here to escape religious persecution? Well, then you're not going to be a history teacher in Oklahoma," Walters stated.

Critics argue that this mandate crosses the line between religious instruction and secular education, a line defined by Supreme Court rulings such as Engel v. Vitale (1962) and Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), which prohibit school-sponsored Bible readings and prayer.

"We have seen the Supreme Court starting in the 1960s and then the teachers' unions, in every practical way, pushing the Bible out of schools," Walters said. "When I came into office, we had multiple threats of lawsuits from national atheist organizations telling teachers to remove the Bible... to remove Bible verses, to never mention God or Jesus in the classroom. Well, think about the absurdity of that. How do you teach the Pilgrims, why they came to America, if you can't ever mention the Bible?"

Several organizations, including the ACLU, have filed lawsuits against Walters' office, arguing that the mandate violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits government-sponsored religious activities in public schools.

"They are trying to stop our agenda through the court system. And look, I'm not going to back down because radical groups are going to continue to sue us. We're going to fight on every front for the parents of Oklahoma," Walters said.

The ACLU has also filed a lawsuit against Walters and Oklahoma's Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, challenging the approval of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which could become the nation's first publicly funded religious charter school. Critics argue that using taxpayer dollars for religious schools violates both the Oklahoma Constitution and the Establishment Clause.

"We're continuing to fight to give St. Isidore the ability to open up," Walters explained. "We've had several legal battles. I'm very optimistic this will move to the U.S. Supreme Court, and we will be allowed to open the school. I've been advocating for this school. It's the first Christian charter school in the country. We are very excited to have that here in Oklahoma, but again, we've got some legal hurdles to overcome."

These cases are among the dozens of lawsuits filed against Walters' office, which also include claims of wrongful termination, whistleblower retaliation, and other constitutional violations.

Walters' push to include the Bible in classrooms is part of a larger strategy to reshape Oklahoma's education system, alongside banning Critical Race Theory and expanding school choice. He believes these policies will strengthen Oklahoma's values and improve its educational standing.

"What we're doing here in Oklahoma is we're fighting back against that. We're fighting back in several ways: school choice. We want parents to decide for their kids. We're bringing the free market incentives into our schools as well. Hey, we do merit pay in Oklahoma. You do a great job as a teacher? We'll pay you up to $100,000. We want the best and brightest. Number three, we're gonna bring the Bible back to our schools. We're gonna get back to the basics. The Bible is absolutely essential to understand American history," Walters said.

As Walters continues pushing for reform, legal battles over these issues will play out in courtrooms, potentially reshaping education not just in Oklahoma, but across the nation.