Oklahoma Orders Schools to Teach Bible
Facts
- Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's state superintendent, ordered all public schools to teach the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, on Thursday.1
- Walters, a Republican, called the Bible an 'indispensable historical and cultural touchstone' and said that an 'immediate and strict compliance' of the mandate is 'expected.'2
- A spokesperson for Oklahoma's attorney general said state law allows Bibles in classrooms and permits teachers to use them during instruction.3
- Walters' mandate covers students in grades five through 12 aged between 11 and 18.4
- This comes after nine families in Louisiana sued the state after it passed a law last week to mandate displaying the Ten Commandments in all public classrooms through the college level.4
Sources: 1New York Times, 2Time, 3Daily Mail and 4BBC News.
Narratives
- Right narrative, as provided by FOX News. Leftists want to deny students a well-rounded education, but the Bible is important for students to have historical context for what they're learning. The Bible has played a role from the Pilgrims through the civil rights movement and other significant historical points in US history. The Bible is integral to US history; not teaching it would be malpractice.
- Left narrative, as provided by Washington Post. This mandate is so unconstitutional that it's amazing that Walters had the gall to issue it. Walters is pushing Christian Nationalist dogma, in violation of freedom of religion, on students and their families under the guise of improving education. The church-state separation is a pillar of the US foundation and must be maintained.