Oklahoma schools receive hoax document on Ryan Walters’ Bible directive

An 84-page document was sent to Oklahoma schools claiming to be a supplemental supervisory document from the State Department of Education. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice)

School districts across the state received packages Wednesday that claimed to be from the State Department of Education and contained 80 pages of biblical lore, as well as a cover letter saying the package was a Supplemental Supervisory Document.

But OSDE says it has nothing to do with the package.

Included in the package, obtained by StateImpact, is what’s titled, “The Book of Aaron: A Lost Book of the Pentateuch” by Julian of the Jains. It claims it was unearthed in Syria in 2008 and translated by “Syncretic Pedagogical Services, LLC,” copyrighted by “the Beast of the Sea,” also known as the Antichrist, from the Biblical book of Revelations.

The book contains an account of the Biblical Moses and his brother, Aaron. In the translator’s afterword, the author says, “Submit now, Aaronites: for I am the Antichrist, and thine own scriptures compel you to grant unto me three and a half years of power and authority over thee.” It goes on to condemn readers for ignoring the “greenhouse effect, or the unholy cognitive mutilations imposed by technology and industry upon thy children’s minds, or the endless Oedipal pageantry of the unfettered economy.”

No information was found by StateImpact about Syncretic Pedagogical Services, LLC. In the cover letter, the alleged LLC is described as a “privately funded think tank of religious scholarship.”

According to one of the superintendents who received the package, it was marked with an OSDE return label but did not have a seal. It used three Forever stamps for postage.

The cover letter says it was written by State Superintendent Ryan Walters, but instead of signing with his correct title, the signature says instead, “Secretary of Education.”

It says:

“As of my directive dated June 27, 2024, the Holy Bible now qualifies as Printed Pedagogical Material under Oklahoma law. This means … the Department must distribute a Supplemental Supervisory Document of the Holy Bible to all eligible Oklahoma public school classrooms. Because none of the Department’s Approved Suppliers offer a suitable product, the Department has retained an outside contractor, Syncretic Pedagogical Services LLC, to develop a Supervisory Document for distribution to all eligible Oklahoma public school classrooms.”

OSDE spokesperson Dan Isett said Wednesday afternoon it was aware of the fraudulent packages and claimed without providing evidence it was backed by investor and philanthropist George Soros.

“The letter and other materials contain the Oklahoma state seal as well as a forged copy of Superintendent Walters’ signature but did not originate with OSDE or the Superintendent,” Isett wrote. “This is a very serious situation and any attempt to target Oklahoma schools will be met with the full force of the law. We encourage all districts who receive this package to report it to local law enforcement and reach out to OSDE with any questions.”

This article was originally published by StateImpact Oklahoma . StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma’s public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond.

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