Oklahoma Bible mandate illegal and ‘revulsive’: Superintendent

( NewsNation ) — An Oklahoma superintendent will not force his educators to teach the Bible this school year, despite a mandate requiring the text to be incorporated into public curriculum .

The mandate also requires a physical copy of the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Ten Commandments in every classroom.

Rob Miller, the superintendent of Bixby Public Schools in Bixby, Okla., told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Monday that the classrooms under his watch will do no such thing.

“I want to be clear that we’re not trying to keep the Bible or religion out of our schools. They’re already here. What we’re trying to do is to protect the religious freedoms of all of our students in every district in Oklahoma,” Miller said.

Whether it’s studying religion in a historical and social context, or faith’s influence on the formations of governments, Miller thinks Oklahoma’s academic standards utilize the Bible already.

But Miller thinks the new mandates are taking that education a step further — beyond state and federal standards.

“We believe that it’s against the Oklahoma Constitution. There is a clear separation of church and state in the Blaine Amendment,” Miller said. “We’re not allowed to use taxpayer dollars to purchase religious texts. So that would be the first violation of that.”

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction, has released guidelines for the mandate’s implementation, but Miller says it’s not clear what is expected.

A Christian himself, Miller also believes the new guidelines belittle his faith, saying “the idea of diminishing the Word of God to a mere classroom prop is a little revulsive to me.”

So, Miller and Bixby’s public educators will start the semester separate from the new standards.

“The Oklahoma Supreme Court was very clear a few months ago in saying that local boards of education have the authority to choose curricular resources for teachers,” Miller added. “And we’ll continue to teach the academic standards as we have.”

Miller may not be alone. As of July 19, according to NewsNation affiliate KFOR ‘s reporting, no school districts in Oklahoma have said they will obey Walters’ mandate.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.