Oklahoma schools must teach the Bible and have a copy in every classroom, according to a directive from the state's top education official on Thursday. The directive also requires that schools incorporate the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, as instructional support for grades 5-12 starting in the 2024-25 school year.
"The Bible is one of the most historically significant books and a cornerstone of Western civilization, along with the Ten Commandments," said Ryan Walters, state superintendent of public instruction for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, in a letter to local superintendents. "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."
The directive comes just days after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against what would have been the nation's first religious charter public school.
The school, which was set to open for the 2024-25 school year, would have required teachers to "convey the Church’s message and to assist in carrying out the Church’s mission." It also required the principal to be a practicing Catholic and for students to attend Mass.
However, the public funding of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School was found to violate the Establishment Clause and the Oklahoma Constitution, both of which prohibit the use of public money to establish a religious institution.
"To be clear, this is an argument that is based on a myth, on a lie," Walters commented on the high-profile case. "You're not going to find the separation of church and state in the Constitution. It's not there."
Walters added that the state Supreme Court "has made some horrendous decisions, this is one of the worst."
Walters' decision to teach the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, statewide follows a Louisiana law signed earlier this month that requires every classroom to display the Ten Commandments by Jan. 1, 2025. Louisiana public school families and other plaintiffs represented by civil rights groups filed a lawsuit this week against the new law.
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