(ConservativeInsider.org) – The Oklahoma State Superintendent issued an order on Thursday, June 27 for public schools within the state to include lessons on the Bible for all students in 5th through 12th grades.
Ryan Walters, a Republican, sent a directive to all superintendents within Oklahoma that states that his latest order is compulsory and should take effect immediately, adding that he expects “strict compliance.”
In a video posted on social media, Walters called the Christian Bible a “necessary historical document” that students need to know to understand the history of our country and of Western civilization. Walters claimed that the Bible is one of the “foundational documents” that inspired the birth of the United States as well as the Constitution.
This move follows shortly after the Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, signed a bill requiring all public schools to post the Ten Commandments, which are ten religious directives from the book of Exodus in the Bible. The move also follows a judgment from the Oklahoma Supreme Court that prevented taxpayer funding from being used for a religious charter school in the state. Walters pushed back against the ruling, calling it “sanctioned discrimination against Christians.”
The order already has fierce opposition, including from the Americans United for Separation of Church and State nonprofit, who is already challenging the Ten Commandments law in Louisiana. The CEO and president of Americans United, Rachel Laser, said the move is “trampling the religious freedom” of students and families who attend public school in Oklahoma.
Walters, who has been in office for a year and a half, has been a strong advocate for adding Christian teachings to public school policy within the state. The Republican Governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, has been supportive of Walters’s moves, including approving a set of regulations proposed by the State Superintendent to include prayer time at public schools, as well as adding the acknowledgement of a “Creator” to the foundational values of Oklahoma’s Department of Education.
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