Oklahoma’s top education official says “a lot of the inspiration” for his order requiring public schools to integrate the Bible into classroom instruction came from the former president and soon-to-be official GOP nominee for the White House, Donald Trump.
Ryan Walters, a Republican elected Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction in 2022, issued a memorandum in late June requiring that schools in the state incorporate the Bible “as an instructional support into the curriculum” across grades five through 12. The directive came after Louisiana last month enacted a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom.
Walters’ move marks the latest chapter in a long-standing American debate over the relationship between religion and public schools. It also may be met with a legal challenge: The Freedom From Religion Foundation, for example – a nonprofit that aims to promote “the constitutional principle of separation between state and church” – vowed “to take action to stop” the new rule in Oklahoma, which ranks No. 49 in the education category of U.S. News most recent Best States analysis.
But Walters says he feels “very comfortable” should a legal battle ensue. The 39-year-old – who has seen his profile grow amid the numerous culture wars taking place within the world of education – previously faced criticism for comments tied to the Tulsa Race Massacre and has also backed a proposal for a minute of silence for prayer or reflection in schools, along with an effort recently halted by the Oklahoma Supreme Court to establish the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school.
“People can be offended. People can be bothered. But what they can’t do is they can’t rewrite history,” Walters says in defense of his Bible-related move.
Walters spoke with U.S. News recently about his rationale behind the mandate and whether he thinks it would hold up against possible legal challenges. Questions and answers below have been edited for length and clarity.
Walters also supports Lousiana’s similar actions: “I very much support what Louisiana is doing. I would tell you though, frankly, a lot of our inspiration came from President Trump. President Trump has been very supportive. As a matter of fact, he tweeted out last week supporting the work that I’m doing and the state’s doing here in Oklahoma on education. But he’s put justices on the Supreme Court who are originalists. And so this gives us the opportunity to understand that they are going to view this in the context in which the Constitution was written. We feel great legally about it and then we also feel very great about the support from President Trump to make sure that our kids understand our history so that we can continue to move the country in the right direction.”
