FILE - Ryan Walters, Republican candidate for Oklahoma State Superintendent, speaks at a rally, Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City. Republican State Superintendent Walters ordered public schools Thursday, June 27, 2024, to incorporate the Bible into lessons for grades 5 through 12, the latest effort by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms. FILE - Bibles are displayed in Miami.
Here are some things to know about Walters’ order, which requires schools to incorporate the Bible as an “instructional support into the curriculum.”Walters said Thursday Oklahoma state law and academic standards are “crystal clear” that the Bible can be used to instruct students in public schools. Indeed, Oklahomalist various biblical stories, as well as other religious scriptures from Buddhism and Hinduism, as primary instructional resources for students.
“There have been times in the last decades where people went too far in kicking religion out of the public square. The Supreme Court has told people that’s not what the First Amendment requires. Now you’re seeing adjustments.”Walters’ order sparked immediate outrage from civil rights groups and those dedicated to the separation of church and state.over its new Ten Commandments law, vowed to take action to block Walters from forcing the Bible into Oklahoma public schools.