A group consisting of parents, students, teachers, and faith leaders has approached the state’s highest court in an attempt to prevent the state superintendent from implementing a mandate that requires the teaching of the Bible in public schools.
Additionally, they are seeking to halt the state agency’s planned purchase of Bibles, which is estimated to cost $3 million.
Critics contend that the requirement to purchase 55,000 King James Version Bibles in Oklahoma violates constitutional safeguards for religious freedom.
They argue that the Department of Education lacks the jurisdiction to use state funds for purchasing Bibles or to dictate the curriculum and textbooks used in schools.
Interestingly, the specifications provided by the department seem to favor a specific Bible, namely Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” Bible, which received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump and entails a fee for its use.
The coalition has filed a petition with the court, requesting an injunction to halt the state’s ongoing efforts to enforce the Bible mandate. This includes a plea to cease the purchase of Bibles and a demand for the mandate and request for proposals to be retracted.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Freedom From Religion Coalition, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice are representing the coalition in this matter.
The defendants in this case include Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, the Board of Education, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, and several OMES employees.
In the summer, Walters sent two memos to public school superintendents on June 27 and July 24. The memos mandated the immediate inclusion of the Bible in schools’ curriculum as well as the requirement to have physical copies of the Bible and Ten Commandments in every classroom.
In September, the Board of Education, led by Walters, gave the green light to a $3 million allocation for the purchase of Bibles in the agency’s budget for the fiscal year 2026.
According to Walters, this funding would be combined with an existing $3 million budget allocation from the current year specifically earmarked for buying Bibles. Dan Isett, a spokesperson from the Department of Education, confirmed that the $3 million was secured through savings in personnel and administrative costs.
