'Textbook Christian Nationalism'
The resistance grows to state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ cockamamie demands the Bible be taught in every classroom.
Norman Public Schools. Stillwater. Bixby. Deer Creek. Yukon. Each has declared publicly it will follow state law, not Walters’ sectarian demands.
As if on cue, however, the superintendent, launched into full Rumpelstiltskin mode, declaring, “They will comply, and I will use every means to make sure of it.”
No word yet on whether he stomped his right foot so hard that he created a great chasm and disappeared into it, never to be heard from again.
Unfortunately for Oklahoma students, teachers and taxpayers, Walters is not a fairy tale character. Grimm, yes. But he’s wreaking actual havoc on a system he was elected to nurture and improve.
What a sad state of affairs. In effect, a schoolyard bully sets the example for Oklahoma’s 700,000 K-12 students.
Stomp. Scream. Repeat.
And for what? A crusade to impose clearly unconstitutional standards on every public-school student in Oklahoma?
The state Constitution is unequivocal: No public dollars may be spent for sectarian purposes – a church-state wall voters reaffirmed eight years ago.
So is state law: It gives school districts, not the state superintendent, authority to “determine the instruction, curriculum, reading lists and instructional materials and textbooks” used in public-school classrooms.
Walters, however, demands each classroom have a physical copy of the Bible, Ten Commandments, Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, and that students, beginning in 5th grade, be exposed to Bible stories, their impact on Western culture, and to Bible-inspired art and music.
“The Bible is indispensable in understanding the development of western civilization and American history,” Walters said. “To ensure our students are equipped to understand and contextualize our nation, its culture, and its founding, every student in Oklahoma will be taught the Bible in its historical, cultural, and literary context.
“As we implement these standards, our schools will maintain open communication with parents to make sure they are fully informed and full partners in their kids’ education.”
What could possibly go wrong is hardly the stuff of fairy tales. It’s not difficult to imagine the religious proselytizing to which impressionable students and their often-unsuspecting families could be exposed.
As Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser noted, “Public schools are not Sunday schools.”
Walters’ “latest scheme – to mandate use of the Bible in Oklahoma public school curriculum – is,” she said, “a transparent, unlawful effort to indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students.
“This is textbook Christian Nationalism. Walters is abusing the power of his public office to impose his religious beliefs on everyone else’s children.”
What makes Walters’ latest gambit even worse is it almost certainly will produce a costly legal battle the superintendent cannot win. But, of course, it won’t be his personal treasure that will be squandered, it will be Oklahoma taxpayers’ – money that could have gone directly into K-12 classrooms instead.
Walters isn’t plowing new legal ground. These issues have been litigated repeatedly over the years.
Courts generally have ruled the Bible can be included in public school instruction when presented in conjunction with other religious texts or works of literature. Similarly, the state Supreme Court recently ruled local school districts – not the state superintendent – hold the power to determine which books are the shelves in their school libraries.
The districts pushing back against Walters are wisely following the law. And showing an understanding, as principal-turned-state Rep. Melissa Provenzano put it, that“every family is different, and religious instruction should begin with and remain in the rightful hands of parents and guardians.”