Oklahoma’s state school superintendent on Thursday announced that all public schools must teach the Bible, a decision he claims will impart “historical understanding” of the book.
“The Bible is a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our legal system — and is frankly, we’re talking about the Bible, one of the most foundational documents used for the Constitution and the birth of our country,” superintendent Ryan Walters said while announcing the policy.
Critics of the decision say it crosses the constitutional boundary between church and state.
The decision comes days after a bill was signed into law in Louisiana requiring each classroom in the state to post a copy of the Ten Commandments.
According to The Washington Post, it is not immediately clear how the Bible is to be taught or what instructional standards around it would require.
A memo to Oklahoma school districts from Walters’s office said schools “are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments,” into the curriculum for fifth through 12th grades, effective immediately, according to KOCO-TV.
“Immediate and strict compliance is expected,” the memo said.
The backlash to the announcement and Louisiana’s Ten Commandment classroom requirement is growing, with opponents to the measures citing the Constitution.
The first amendment to the Constitution — known as the Establishment Clause — says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
“Requiring a Bible in every classroom does not improve Oklahoma’s ranking of 49th in education,” Oklahoma state Rep. Mickey Dollens (D) said in a statement, referring to a recent report. “The State Superintendent should focus on educating students, not evangelizing them.”
According to the Post, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a nonprofit that advocates for the disassociation of religion from government, said it’s prepared to fight the directive. The group is also among those challenging Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law, the Post reported.
“Americans United will do everything in our power to stop Christian Nationalists like Ryan Walters from trampling the religious freedom of public school children and their families,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of the advocacy group, said in a statement. “This nation must recommit to our foundational principle of church-state separation before it’s too late. Public education, religious freedom and democracy are all on the line.”
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