Americans United urges Oklahoma school districts to ignore Ryan Walters’ unlawful Bible-instruction guidelines

Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement in response to the guidelines distributed today by Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters that purport to require Oklahoma public schools to use the Bible in classroom instruction:

Guidelines exceed Ryan Walters’ authority

“Oklahoma’s public school districts, not State Superintendent Ryan Walters, are empowered by state law to establish their own curriculum and select what texts are taught in public schools. Oklahoma families, not politicians pushing a political and religious agenda, should get to decide whether, when and how their children engage with religion.

“Public schools are not Sunday schools. Walters has repeatedly made clear that he is incapable of distinguishing the difference. His latest scheme – to mandate use of the Bible in Oklahoma public school curriculum – is a transparent, unlawful effort to indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students.

‘This is textbook Christian Nationalism.’

“This is textbook Christian Nationalism. Walters is abusing the power of his public office to impose his religious beliefs on everyone else’s children. Not on our watch. Americans United is ready to step in and protect all Oklahoma public school children and their families from violations of their constitutionally protected religious freedom and other unlawful conduct. We urge any Oklahoma families and educators whose school district attempts to implement Walters’ unlawful and unauthorized guidelines to contact AU at www.au.org/report-a-violation.”

Oklahoma law provides that “[s]chool districts shall exclusively determine the instruction, curriculum, reading lists and instructional materials and textbooks” that are used in public-school classrooms. (Title 70, Section 11-103.6a(F), of the Oklahoma Statutes.) Walters’ Bible-instruction guidelines are plainly prohibited by this statute.

Requirements for teaching Bible in public schools

And a long line of court decisions makes clear that strict constitutional requirements apply when attempting to teach the Bible in public school classrooms. In accordance with the Constitution, public schools may teach about religion but they may not preach any religion. AU has issued “Know Your Rights” guides that explain this in detail.

Study after study shows that when Christian Nationalists push for public school classes focused on the Bible, they fail to meet these constitutional requirements and end up religiously coercing students. Families whose religious freedom has been violated often have no choice but to challenge them in court.