OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma State Department of Education is now stepping away from several directives previously issued by Ryan Walters, notably the requirement for every classroom to possess a Bible and for teachers to incorporate it into their lessons.
A.P. U.S. History teacher Aaron Baker expressed his satisfaction with the recent shift in direction. “I am very pleased to see the superintendent abandon the anti-woke culture war. It didn’t work for Ryan Walters, and it’s not a good look going forward,” he remarked.
During Walters’ tenure as superintendent, he initiated the distribution of the Trump Bible, formally known as the Lee Greenwood God Bless the USA Bible, which retails at over $60 each. Baker was among the numerous educators who received this edition.
Walters allocated nearly $25,000 to acquire approximately 532 Bibles, the maximum amount he could spend without needing legislative approval. His ultimate goal was to secure $6 million in the previous year’s budget to fulfill his vision of placing a Bible in every Oklahoma classroom.
This ambitious plan, however, was not realized and is being dismantled under the leadership of the new Superintendent, Lindel Fields. Fields has made it clear that the department is retracting Walters’ mandate and reversing many of his policies.
That didn’t happen and isn’t going to happen. The new Superintendent, Lindel Fields, announced that they aren’t mandating that and, in fact, they are going back on much of what Walters mandated.
“Superintendent Fields has no plans to distribute Bibles or a biblical education curriculum,” said interim Communications Director for OSDE Tara Thompson.
“It’s a blessing and it’s the right thing to do, but we should’ve never been put in this situation in the first place,” said Baker.
This decision came about a day after a judge said that the department had to decide in two weeks concerning a lawsuit surrounding the Bible mandate. That judge gave them the option of dismissing the mandate altogether, and that’s what has happened.
Thompson said that the department has its sights set on the controversial Social Studies standards next.
There is currently a lawsuit surrounding those as well; it could go in a similar direction, just in a different fashion.
“We are asking if we are spending taxpayer dollars wisely and as good stewards. And if the answer to that is no, then we need to start looking at rescinding or making changes to things that have been put in place,” said Thompson.
Every six years, Oklahoma picks new social studies standards to then adapt to new textbook purchases. Lawmakers, board members, and many taxpayers expressed concern with the ones that Walters put forward, specifically that he added last-minute, which included the Bible teachings and the election conspiracies.
The cost for the textbook process, especially with new criteria like the conspiracy theories and the bible stories, ended up being around $33 million, according to lawmakers earlier this year.
The department was asked what would happen here, and Thompson said, “We are still in limbo on that as well. We are asking what guidance we give districts. Is it to revert to those 2019 standards, I don’t know.”
News 4 asked Thompson on Wednesday about the partnership with PragerU. If the Bible mandate is being reversed, as well as the religious curriculum. Then what about the many projects Walters announced in partnership with PragerU, a Christian conservative media company?
“We have yet to find a PragerU contract, so I’m continuing to investigate that because I’d like to be able to give you that definitive answer. Is there a contract? Is there anything, or was it just conversations in the media? I haven’t found a contract yet,” said Thompson.
The department’s attorney said that they will respond to the Bible mandate lawsuit before the end of the week, and then the opposition has ten days to respond.
“The Bible was not a problem in my classroom. It has a place, and I found a place for it. It’s not part of my instruction, but I have lots of books in my classroom,” said Baker.
The department said they don’t know about the next steps, whether they will have districts return the Bibles or let them keep them. Thompson said that, for the most part, Superintendent Fields is headed more towards giving more power and control to the local school districts.
