Civil rights groups seeking records on Ryan Walters' Bible mandate for Oklahoma schools

Four civil rights organizations and an Oklahoma law firm said they made a joint request for records Friday, seeking information from the Oklahoma State Department of Education about state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters ’ recent mandate that the Bible be incorporated into classroom teaching .

The groups, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the ACLU of Oklahoma, American Civil Liberties Union, Freedom From Religion Foundation, and Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice said their open records request targeted three areas:

• The June 27, directive to incorporate the Bible “as an instructional support into the curriculum” for fifth through 12th grades.
• The "complete overhaul” of the state’s social studies standards and the creation of an Executive Review Committee to oversee those revisions.
• The memorandum sent to all school districts providing guidance on the implementation of the original directive to incorporate the Bible into classroom instruction.

Megan Lambert, legal director for the ACLU of Oklahoma, said the groups made the request under the Oklahoma Open Records Act. She said the groups were seeking all records related to each event, including records created after Jan. 8, 2023, sent or received by Walters or any other official or employee of the state Education Department related to teaching or using the Bible in public schools, records related to the selection of the Executive Review Committee to oversee the revisions to Oklahoma’s social studies standards as well as all communications with members or prospective members, and records related to funding or paying for the Bible mandate.

More: At least eight large Oklahoma school districts rebuke Ryan Walters' order to teach Bible

“All families and students should feel welcome in our public schools,” Lambert said in a media statement announcing the action. “Courts have repeatedly ruled that it is unconstitutional for public schools to ‘coerce anyone to support or participate in religion or its exercise.’"

Lambert said Oklahoma children have the right to attend public school and to access the full range of school services "without having government-sponsored religion imposed on them."

"Freedom of religion means that parents and faith communities — not politicians — have the right to direct their children’s religious education and development," she said.

Walters' spokesman, Dan Isett, said the groups were "out-of-state left-wing activists" that were "dedicated to thwarting academic advancement in Oklahoma as they are wrong about the use of the Bible as an instructional support in our classrooms."

More: Fact check: What does Oklahoma law say about teaching the Bible in public schools?

"Superintendent Walters has been crystal clear that incorporating the Bible provides an invaluable opportunity to deepen students' understanding of historical and cultural developments and deeper understanding of the historical and literary foundations of Western civilization," Isett said in an emailed statement to The Oklahoman.

"These radicals would sacrifice our students’ knowledge on the alter of their own tyrannical version of atheism as our state religion."

Guidance from Ryan Walters says physical copies of Bible, Constitution, Ten Commandments must be in every classroom

The request comes just days after Walters issued a guidance paper on how schools might incorporate his directive, issued in late June, that the Bible be taught in every classroom.

“Immediate and complete implementation of these guidelines for the 2024-2025 school year is required,” Walters wrote in a memo to the state's school district superintendents on Tuesday.

“This memorandum and the included standards must be provided to every teacher as well as providing a physical copy of the Bible, the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Ten Commandments as resources in every classroom in the school district. These documents are mandatory for the holistic education of students in Oklahoma.”

Walters' directive has been met with pushback from several of the state's larger districts which announced publicly that they won’t be altering their curriculum despite the directive.

Pastor weighs in: I believe forcing public schools to teach from the Bible is wrong | Opinon

Colleen McCarty, executive director of Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, said Walters has made his agenda in Oklahoma clear: partisan rhetoric, Christian Nationalism and a national platform to further his political ambitions.

"Walters’ track record in actually addressing the real concerns of students and parents is abysmal,” she said. “Oklahomans deserve a state superintendent who is devoted to providing a quality, accessible and unbiased education to Oklahoma’s kids rather than unconstitutionally tearing down the wall between church and state.”

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, said the joint request was made in the public interest, so the organizations and their Oklahoma members "can determine whether those entrusted with the affairs of government are honestly, faithfully and competently performing their duties as public servants."

“Public schools are not Sunday schools. Superintendent Walters has repeatedly made clear that he is incapable of distinguishing the difference,” Laser said in a media statement. “His latest scheme — to mandate use of the Bible in Oklahoma public school curriculum — is a transparent, unlawful effort to advance Christian Nationalism and indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students. Not on our watch.”

The organizations ask that the requested records be provided by Aug. 10, 2024.

Patrick Elliott, director of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, said he was concerned by Walters' push of the Bible in school curriculum. “Ryan Walters lacks the legal authority to order schools to do this,” Elliott said. “Walters is attempting to compromise students’ education in order to score political points with a narrow set of his Christian Nationalist supporters.”

Education reporter Murray Evans contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Civil rights groups seeking records on Ryan Walters' Bible mandate for Oklahoma schools