OKLAHOMA CITY - Today, a coalition of civil rights organizations is making a joint request for records related to the Oklahoma State Department of Education superintendent’s recent mandate that the Bible be incorporated into public school teaching.
The ACLU of Oklahoma, American Civil Liberties Union, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice are requesting the Oklahoma State Department of Education to provide records related to three official mandates by the State Superintendent of Public Education, Ryan Walters. On June 27th a directive to all school districts within the state was issued ordering the incorporation of the Bible “as an instructional support into the curriculum” for grades five through twelve. Following this action, “a complete overhaul” to the state’s social studies standards and the creation of an Executive Review Committee to oversee those revisions with the purpose to “incorporate the introduction of the Bible as an instructional resource” was announced in an official news release on July 9th. Finally, on July 24th, a memorandum was disseminated to all school districts providing guidance on the implementation of the original directive to incorporate the Bible into classroom instruction.
Under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, the groups are requesting all records related to each action. This includes records created after January 8, 2023, sent or received by Walters or any other official or employee of the Oklahoma State Department of Education related to teaching or using the Bible in public schools, records related to the selection of the Executive Review Committee to oversee the revisions to Oklahoma’s social studies standards as well as all communications with members or prospective members of the committee, and records related to funding or paying for the Bible mandate.
The request is made in the public interest, so that the organizations and their Oklahoma members can determine whether those entrusted with the affairs of government are honestly, faithfully, and competently performing their duties as public servants. The organizations ask that the requested records be provided by August 10, 2024.
“All families and students should feel welcome in our public schools,” said Megan Lambert, ACLU of Oklahoma legal director. “Courts have repeatedly ruled that it is unconstitutional for public schools to ‘coerce anyone to support or participate in religion or its exercise.’ Oklahoma children have the right to attend public school and to access the full range of school services without having government-sponsored religion imposed on them. Freedom of religion means that parents and faith communities—not politicians—have the right to direct their children’s religious education and development.”
“Ryan Walters lacks the legal authority to order schools to do this,” notes FFRF legal director Patrick Elliott. “Walters is attempting to compromise students’ education in order to score political points with a narrow set of his Christian Nationalist supporters.”
“State Superintendent Ryan Walters has made his agenda in Oklahoma clear: partisan rhetoric, Christian Nationalism, and a national platform to further his political ambitions. S.S. Walters’ track record in actually addressing the real concerns of students and parents is abysmal,” said Colleen McCarty, executive director of Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. “Oklahomans deserve a State Superintendent who is devoted to providing a quality, accessible, and unbiased education to Oklahoma’s kids rather than unconstitutionally tearing down the wall between church and state.”
“Public schools are not Sunday schools. Superintendent Walters has repeatedly made clear that he is incapable of distinguishing the difference,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United. “His latest scheme – to mandate use of the Bible in Oklahoma public school curriculum – is a transparent, unlawful effort to advance Christian Nationalism and indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students. Not on our watch.”
“Once again, Ryan Walters is pushing religiously divisive policies to score cheap political points in Oklahoma,” said Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. “But decisions about kids’ religious education are best left to families and faith communities, not government bureaucrats.”
