Several Oklahoma schools are speaking out against State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ directive to teach the Bible in public school grades 5 through 12.
Walters recently released guidelines on his controversial Bible mandate in public schools after ordering educators to incorporate the religious text into their lessons, arguing that the Bible is necessary to ensure “students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.”
In a June 27 meeting, Walters spoke on the requirement, saying, “every teacher and every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom.”
The order was followed by intense backlash from civil liberties groups and the Oklahoma Education Association – a collective of educators, administrators and other school employees — who say it infringes on students’ and educators’ freedom of religion.
Now, several Oklahoma schools have publicly stated that there will not be any changes to their curriculum and that they will continue to adhere to current school standards despite Walters’ recently announced guidelines.
In a July 25 statement, Owasso Public Schools Superintendent Margaret Coates said the district “will continue to adhere to the curriculum and instructional materials previously adopted by the district.”