All schools in Oklahoma need to incorporate the Bible in the curriculum for their classes, Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma state superintendent, said on June 27, 2024, at an Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting. Walters said he was "issuing a memo [that day] that every school will adhere to" and that "immediate and strict compliance is expected."
The reason for this, he said, is "to ensure that this historical understanding is made available for every student in the state of Oklahoma."
However, in Oklahoma, Bibles were already allowed in classrooms and teachers could use them while teaching, reported the Associated Press.
According to Walters' new mandate, "every teacher and every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom."
Walters referred to the Bible as "an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone," as per Fox 23. "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," he continued. "This is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country."
More from LittleThings: New Book Reveals Trump Once Allegedly Had Crush On Debra Messing: 'Quite Attractive'
The requirement applies to grades 5 through 12. When asked what subjects the requirement applied to, Walters mentioned social studies and English language arts classes, reported KOSU.
Walters said "the social studies standards are the most straightforward," according to the outlet, and added that "you also have some of our ELA standards too that talk about literature to be used."
The requirement is controversial. Adam Soltani, director of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, released a statement in response to the requirement, calling the mandate "a clear violation of the Constitution's Establishment Clause." The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from establishing a religion.
"Although we and the American Muslim community recognize the important historical and religious significance of the Bible, forcing teachers to use it and only it in their curriculum is inappropriate and unconstitutional," Soltani said in the statement, as per Fox 23.
Soltani acknowledged that "religious freedom allows for the academic instruction of religion in subjects such as geography, social studies, and history."
However, at the same time, requiring "religious scripture, regardless of which one it may be, to be incorporated into lessons in our schools" is unconstitutional, he stated.
State Rep. Jacob Rosecrants, a Democrat from Norman, previously worked as a history teacher and said that the decision made him "very, very angry," as per KOSU.
Rosecrants said that when he was teaching history, he taught students about the Bible and Christianity from a historical perspective — and also taught about other religions, reported KOSU.
When it comes to Walters' new requirement, however, "the separation of church and state — it just seems to be ignored," Rosecrants said.
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, also spoke out against the mandate in a statement, reported the Associated Press.
Laser said "public schools are not Sunday schools" and accused Walters of "abusing the power of his public office to impose his religious beliefs on everyone else’s children."
