Oklahoma Loosens Rules for Mandatory Classroom Bibles
Oklahoma public schools will soon be required to stock Bibles in classrooms—though they may no longer end up having to supply a Donald Trump–endorsed copy of the text.
In June, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters announced his plan to require schools to stock Bibles in classrooms and incorporate the Bible and Ten Commandments into curriculum.
“Every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom,” Walters said, “to ensure that this historical understanding is there for every student in the state of Oklahoma.”
In a memo laying out his order to schools, Walters further explained that scripture “will be referenced as an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like, as well as for their substantial influence on our nation’s founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution.”
The announcement was almost immediately met with backlash from critics who saw Walters’ move as an unabashed attempt to force religious instruction in schools. It isn’t entirely clear whether Walters’ directive violates the Establishment Clause, as limited, contextually appropriate discussion of religious texts is already broadly considered legal. The memo pushes “the edge of the envelope,” Andrew C. Spiropoulos, a constitutional law professor at the Oklahoma City University School of Law, told The New York Times in June. “By singling it out as a proposal standing alone, that could be legally problematic.”
That wasn’t the end of the controversy over Walters’ directive. Last month, Walters requested a total of $6 million to purchase the 55,000 Bibles needed for Oklahoma classrooms. Earlier this month, The Oklahoman reported that the state’s request for proposal (RFP) guidelines—directing how manufacturers should bid for the state’s contract to supply the Bibles—were so restrictive that almost no Bibles currently in circulation would meet the criteria. The guidelines required that the Bible be a King Ja
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