Since September, AU has netted several wins and hopeful developments in the fight to protect religious freedom for Oklahoma public school children and their families.
The latest development came on the heels of Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters’ Sept. 24 announcement that he was resigning his public office to lead an anti-teacher organization. Oklahoma’s public education system had suffered under Walters’ Christian Nationalist agenda for nearly three years, and he has been a defendant in three lawsuits filed by AU and our allies.
“This is a win for Oklahomans. They’re better off without Walters,” AU President and CEO Rachel Laser said in response to his resignation. “At every turn Walters abused the power of his government office as he attempted to impose his personal religious beliefs on Oklahoma school children. And time and again, he lost in court to Americans United, our local allies and the brave parents, students, faith leaders, teachers and public education advocates who fought his Christian Nationalist agenda.
“Oklahomans deserve a superintendent who understands that the separation of church and state means families — not politicians — get to decide when and how children engage with religion,” Laser added.
Lindel Fields, appointed by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) to replace Walters, announced on Oct. 15 that he does not plan to pursue one of Walters’ initiatives: distributing Bibles and Biblical character education materials to public schools.
Fields’ announcement came almost exactly on the one-year anniversary of AU and allies filing a lawsuit on behalf of 32 Oklahoma parents, children, public school teachers and faith leaders to challenge Walters’ plans to purchase Bibles for public schools and his orders that the Bibles be placed in classrooms and incorporated in classroom instruction. The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Oklahoma Foundation, Freedom From Religion Foundation and Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice are AU’s partners in the case.
“We plan to file a motion to dismiss [the lawsuit], and have no plans to distribute Bibles or a biblical character education curriculum in classrooms,” Fields announced in a press release.
In a joint statement, AU and allies in the lawsuit expressed cautious optimism: “We are encouraged to hear that Superintendent Fields has stated that he has no plans to pursue Ryan Walters’ efforts to distribute Bibles or a Biblical Character Education curriculum to Oklahoma public schools. … The attempts to promote religion in the classroom and the abuses of power that the Oklahoma State Department of Education engaged in under Walters’ tenure should never happen in Oklahoma or anywhere in the United States again.
“We will monitor the State Department of Education’s actions and discuss with our clients the next steps in the lawsuit,” the statement concluded.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court had already blocked Walters and the state from buying Bibles and biblical character-education materials while the lawsuit was pending. At least temporarily barred from spending millions of taxpayer dollars on one of his pet projects, Walters last spring had pivoted to a new scheme in which he solicited donations for $60, leather-bound “God Bless the USA Bibles” that were endorsed by President Donald Trump. The pricey books promote Christian Nationalism by including historical American documents like the Constitution and Declaration of Independence — trying to inaccurately link America’s founding to Christianity.
When some of the Trump Bibles were distributed to Oklahoma public schools this fall, critics noted the books only included the first ten amendments to the Constitution — leaving out Amendments 11-27, including the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, and the 19th Amendment, in which women secured the right to vote. The omissions were seen by some as intentional, given Walters’ attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion and attempts to whitewash Oklahoma’s curriculum.
“It would certainly mislead students if they are given this Bible,” AU Associate Vice President and Associate Legal Director Alex Luchenitser told Oklahoma City TV station KFOR. “That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. What that does is it sends a message that the Constitution and religion are intertwined.”
Christianity-infused social studies standards
The lawsuit challenging Walters’ Bible-education mandate continues for now, as does a second lawsuit filed over the summer by AU and Oklahoma Appleseed challenging Walters’ Christianity-infused social studies standards. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 33 Oklahoma parents, children, public school teachers and faith leaders, demonstrates that the new standards are replete with several dozen references to the Bible and Christianity while containing few mentions of other faiths; inaccurately present Bible stories as literal, historical facts; and inaccurately proclaim Christianity’s influence on the founding of America and the country’s laws, among other problems.
On Sept. 15, the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked the state from implementing the new standards while the lawsuit proceeds. State officials also are prohibited from spending any state funds on the new standards.
“These new social studies standards would violate students’ and families’ religious freedom by promoting one version of Christianity and advancing Christian Nationalist disinformation,” AU’s Laser said. “Not on our watch. Public schools are not Sunday schools.”
Brent Rowland, legal director of Oklahoma Appleseed, also celebrated the court’s order: “This is a victory for transparency, fairness, and the constitutional rights of all Oklahomans. … Blocking these standards means Oklahoma students can learn history and civics in a way that respects every family’s beliefs while inspiring them to think critically, ask questions, and engage as informed members of our democracy.”
Fields, Walters’ replacement, has indicated through a spokesperson that he would like to settle the lawsuit challenging Walters’ new social studies standards, which are problematic for reasons beyond the unconstitutional promotion of Christianity. As noted in AU’s lawsuit, the standards violated the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and other procedural requirements because Oklahoma officials gave no notice to the public — or even to members of the State Board of Education themselves — that the version of the standards submitted to the board for a vote was substantially different from the version that had been publicly released.
The standards also run afoul of a statutory requirement that Oklahoma’s academic standards be accurate and age appropriate. Aside from the religion-related inaccuracies, the standards also present disproven contentions about the legitimacy of the 2020 election and convey as unquestioned truth the controversial theory that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in a Chinese laboratory. In other words, the standards not only advance Walters’ Christian Nationalist agenda, but also his conservative political views.
Fallout from Walters’ abuse of public office continues
Oklahoma continues to deal with the fallout of Walters’ regime. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (R) ordered an investigative audit of the Oklahoma State Department of Education going back to the beginning of Walters’ tenure in January 2023. “Given the former Superintendent’s well-established history of mishandling tax dollars, combined with new and ongoing allegations of misspending, I am now ordering an investigative audit of the Oklahoma State Department of Education,” Drummond said in an Oct. 1 statement.
Drummond previously sued the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board for trying to create and fund what would have been the nation’s first religious public school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. Drummond’s case was filed a few months after AU and allies filed a similar lawsuit challenging the school’s creation. Walters supported the school’s creation and was one of the defendants in AU’s case.
After the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in June 2024 that a religious public charter school was unconstitutional, the school and state education officials appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices deadlocked 4-4 in May (Justice Amy Coney Barrett had recused herself), allowing the Oklahoma Supreme Court decision to stand and permanently blocking the school from opening.
In early October, the Oklahoma Ethics Commission also announced it is investigating Walters again. The commission didn’t reveal the nature of its investigation, but news reports noted the announcement came on the heels of an Oklahoma lawmaker renewing an ethics complaint that Walters had used state resources to endorse the Teacher Freedom Alliance — the conservative nonprofit Walters left office to lead.
“This development strongly suggests that [Walters’] prior actions were motivated by personal financial or professional gain, further underscoring the need for investigation,” Rep. Ellen Pogemiller (D-Oklahoma City) wrote in her complaint, according to The Oklahoman newspaper.
“The resignation of Superintendent Ryan Walters marks the end of one of the most controversial eras in Oklahoma public education,” the Rev. Dr. Mitch Randall told news site Baptist News Global. Randall, a Baptist pastor who leads Good Faith Media, has been a plaintiff in all three AU lawsuits in Oklahoma.
“At every turn, Walters attempted to instill Christian nationalism and false information into the classroom. … Maybe now, Oklahoma can return to the serious business of educating our children without the lunacy Walters brought to the job,” Randall said.