Oklahoma Purchases More Than 500 Bibles for Classrooms

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

State Superintendent Ryan Walters considers the initiative as a push for academic excellence, while critics say it violates the stateโ€™s Constitution.

Oklahomaโ€™s top education official said Friday that the state purchased more than 500 Bibles for AP government classes as a step toward providing the religious text in every state classroom.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters said providing Bibles in Oklahomaโ€™s classrooms would provide critical historical, cultural, and literary context for U.S. students and put the state on a path toward improved academic excellence.

โ€œI will take every step possible to ensure Oklahoma students have the resources they need to fully understand American history,โ€ he said in a Nov. 14 statement. โ€œWe are not going to change our history, and the Bible is a major part of that.โ€

While announcing his Bible program, Walters said that the Bible, along with the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights, are foundational documents in U.S. history.

โ€œOur kids have to understand the role the Bible played in influencing American history,โ€ he said. โ€œItโ€™s very clear that the radical left has driven the Bible out of the classroom, which leads to a lack of understanding of American history.โ€

The Bible purchases are part of a larger effort to provide Bibles and patriotic materials, including the Pledge of Allegiance and U.S. founding documents, to every classroom in Oklahoma.

This broader initiative has drawn legal challenges, with opponents arguing it violates the Oklahoma Constitutionโ€™s prohibition on public funding for religious purposes and favors one religion over others by using a Protestant version of the Bible.

A lawsuit filed by civil rights organizations, including the ACLU of Oklahoma and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which advocates for atheists, agnostics, and nontheists, seeks to block the mandate. The plaintiffs also allege Walters and the state Board of Education lack authority to enforce such a requirement.

New Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism

Separately, Walters announced on Nov. 12 the creation of a new Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism at the stateโ€™s Department of Education.

Walters said the office would protect teachersโ€™ and studentsโ€™ constitutional rights, citing a case in Skiatook, a city where Bible quotes were removed from a classroom under legal threat.

Byย Caden Pearson

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Chronic Grievous Insufficiency

A president's physical vigor, stamina, and mental acuity are essential to his ability to fulfill the duties of office and those qualities should matter with no regard to party affiliation.

Russiagate – Obama’s Coup Against Trump?

I had little confidence in wrongs committed by D.C. official elites being rectified, but Gabbardโ€™s disclosures provides impetus for reassessment.

Hereโ€™s How Lindsey Graham Manipulated Trump Against Putin

RT published two critical pieces about Lindsey Graham, โ€œWorld...

Is Epstein Still Alive?

They told us Epstein was dead. They showed us a cell, a bed sheet, a broken hyoid bone, but what followed wasn't justice it was the biggest cover up since 9/11.

Somali Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate Condemns White โ€˜Domestic Terrorists,โ€™ Demands $400 Million For โ€˜Anti-Racismโ€™

Soon-to-be democratic socialist mayor of Minneapolis, Omar Fetah, in 2021 demanded $400 million from taxpayers to invest in โ€œanti-racismโ€ measures.

Columbia University Expels, Suspends Student Protesters Involved in Library Takeover

Columbia Univ expelled, suspended, and revoked degrees of multiple students for participating in disruptive protests in spring 2024 and earlier this year.

RFK Jr. Orders Removal of Mercury From Flu Vaccines

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has signed a recommendation to remove a mercury-based preservative from influenza vaccines in the United States.

Judges Order Kilmar Abrego Garcia Released From Federal Custody

Federal judges ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an criminal illegal alien, be released from federal custody and returned to family in Maryland.

Amazon Confirms Closure of Its Shanghai AI Lab

Amazon is closing AI lab established in Shanghai years ago, the latest American company to scale back China-based research amid U.S. China tensions.

Trump Doesnโ€™t Support Government Doing Business With Muskโ€™s AI Company: White House

Trump is not interested in allowing the federal govt to do business with Elon Muskโ€™s AI company, WH press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on July 23.

Trumpโ€™s Tariffsโ€”A Closer Look at Who Pays and How

Since President Donald Trumpโ€™s return to the White House, tariffs have been the centerpiece of the administrationโ€™s economic agenda.

Trump Announces Trade Deal With Japan

With Aug. 1 deadline approaching, the US has reached a trade agreement with Japan, U.S. President Trump announced on social media on Tuesday.

Trump Considering Eliminating Capital Gains Tax on Houses

President Donald Trump is thinking about abolishing the capital gains tax on houses to improve the U.S. housing market.
spot_img

Related Articles