Ryan Walters (pictured below) made news in 2023 when he announced his team was going to make the Holy Bible part of public-school curriculum for elementary through high school.
"We do have a state religion. It’s called atheism," Walters said at that time. "We are promoting atheism by allowing schools to push out faith, push out any references to God. In Oklahoma, we are not going to allow that. We are going to teach history the way that it was. Our kids are going to understand the role that faith played in this country's history."
During a visit last week to American Family Association headquarters in Tupelo, Mississippi, Walters explained the plan to "foster patriotism, respect for our nation, and the Judeo-Christian values that built America" in social studies standards this fall.
"The first thing we've done is we've passed standards that allow, in every classroom, kids to learn about the Bible's role in American history," he shared. "This goes all the way down to first and second grade where they're going to be looking at Bible stories."
He continued: "They're going to be looking at the influence the Bible had throughout American history. It goes all the way up to 12th grade where there's … obviously a deeper study of what Jesus taught, its impact there on the founding of America, the references throughout our history …."
According to Walters, individuals from around the U.S. are generously purchasing and donating Bibles for use in the classrooms.
"… It's essential that every classroom has a Bible, a Constitution, a Declaration of Independence, and a Bill of Rights so that our kids understand how these foundational documents influenced American history," he added. "The training's going on over the summer so that everyone's prepared to have the best school year that we've had in state history."
Lawsuits have been filed – for example, by the Freedom From Religion Foundation – against the Oklahoma Department of Education in an attempt to stop some of these initiatives. But Walters feels confident his department will win those and be able to move forward.
"We're doing what the people of Oklahoma want. It's what we need to be doing to get education back on track," he told AFN.
