State Superintendent Ryan Walters releases guidance for school Bible use

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – On Wednesday, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced new guidance for teaching the Bible in Oklahoma Schools.

The announcement comes on the heels of much debate and concerns in the role of the Bible and its interpretation used in educational performance. Since 2019, it has been accepted by Oklahoma law that a Bible could be taught in its historical context. The Oklahoma Supreme Court recently ruled that local school boards have the final say to determine which books and instructional materials are deemed to be appropriate in Oklahoma classrooms.

Walters, in a June board meeting, stated “ effective immediately, all Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum across specified grade levels, e.g., grades five through 12 .” Walters clarified further saying, “every district and every classroom will have a Bible in the class and they will teach from that Bible.” Walters called it a “historical document that needs to be taught.”

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond responded to the issue stating, “Oklahoma law already explicitly allows Bibles in the classroom and enables teachers to use them in instruction.”

A spokesperson for the AG, Phil Bacharach, said that the quote was used about the memorandum sent out to districts that the Bible be incorporated into class instruction, not that it is required to be taught.

Walters recently told NBC News — “Oklahoma educators who refuse to teach students the Bible could lose their teaching license.”

Wednesday, Walters moved to place guidelines into action teaching the Bible in Oklahoma Schools. While several districts have already said they won’t follow the directive, other districts are still waiting on guidance.

Moore Public Schools announced in early July that they will obey the current regulations for academic standards which include not having a Bible in every class.

Reverend Dr. Shannon Fleck, a theologian, says she disagrees with Walters. “When you teach a historical document you take into account the context, the authorship, and the audience for which it was written,” said Fleck.

Rev. Dr. Fleck, a leader at the Oklahoma Faith Network, responded to one of Walters’ memos saying, “Making teachers teach from the Bible is excessive, and it’s asking our teachers to do something intimate. That’s why it feels like it’s crossing a line because faith traditions are intimate, personal, and important to each of us. And it’s all different and individual eyes asking teachers to teach from a context they might not be familiar with or uncomfortable with because there are lines and places asking way too much,” said Rev. Dr. Shannon Fleck.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a nonprofit civil liberties group said in a statement that Walters’ new Bible policy is “trampling the religious freedom of public school children and their families.”

“The Bible is a very complex book to study and learn,” sad Fleck. “This is complex stuff and our teachers don’t have time to delve into a topic they have not spent years studying.”

Representative Mickey Dollens (Oklahoma City) has spoken out several times saying, “Requiring a Bible in every classroom does not improve Oklahoma’s ranking of 49th in education. Ryan Walters should focus on educating students, not evangelizing them.”

Walters gave a stark reminder in his latest release stating, “Some Oklahoma educators have indicated they won’t follow the law and Oklahoma Standards, so let me be clear: they will comply, and I will use every means to make sure of that.”

This is a developing Story

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