“The Bible is a historical document that is essential to teaching our children the history of this country, to having a full understanding of Western civilization, to understanding the foundation of our legal system,” said Walters, a Republican.
Teaching from the Bible becomes compulsory and “immediate and strict adherence to it is expected.”
'abuse of power'
Opponents of the new arrangement describe it as an abuse of power and a violation of the US Constitution. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the establishment of a national religion or the preference of one religion over another. The separation of church and state is a founding principle of the United States.
It is not clear whether Walters has the authority to require schools to teach the Bible. Under state law, individual school districts have exclusive authority to set curricula, reading lists and textbooks, among other things.
The Ten Commandments
Walters, a former public school teacher who was elected to office in 2022, has waged a battle against “woke ideology,” banning books from school libraries and rooting out “radical leftists” who he claims are indoctrinating children in classrooms.
Last week, the southern state of Louisiana passed a law requiring the Bible's Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public school classrooms. This law has already been legally challenged because it is said to be in violation of the US Constitution. Oklahoma's new guidelines will likely face the same fate.
