Oklahoma is now requiring that all schools include teachings centered around the Bible in curriculums for grades five through 12.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said in a memo Thursday that every Oklahoma school is mandated to teach students the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments. The memo states that adherence to the mandate is compulsory and Walters’ office will provide further instructions for monitoring and reporting the implementation for the 2024-2025 school year.
“The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,” Walters said in a press release unveiling the mandate. “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. 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 Bible will be referenced as an “appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like, as well as for their substantial influence on our nation’s founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution,” the memo says.
Oklahoma kids will learn that the Bible and the Ten Commandments are foundational for western civilization. The left is upset, but one cannot rewrite history. pic.twitter.com/iZKhv9tKoc
— Superintendent Ryan Walters (@RyanWaltersSupt) June 27, 2024
Walters ordered the Bible in classrooms after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against what would’ve been the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school.
The state’s Virtual Charter School Board voted greenlighted an application for the school in 2023, which promoted state Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond to sue in October in a bit to block funding, characterizing it an “irreparable violation of our individual religious liberty” and “an unthinkable waste of our tax dollars.”
Oklahoma’s Department of Education will supply teaching materials for the Bible to schools “if permissible,” the press release says.
All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline, and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- Dem mayor’s hand-picked school board president resigns after just a week over antisemitic social media posts - November 1, 2024
- Judge rules anti-Israel group can sue universities over alleged free speech violations - October 31, 2024
- Catholic hospital forced to provide emergency abortions after blue state AG’s lawsuit - October 30, 2024
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
BPR INSIDER COMMENTS
Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!
