Current:Home > ContactOklahoma parents and teachers sue to stop top education official’s classroom Bible mandate -ValueCore
Oklahoma parents and teachers sue to stop top education official’s classroom Bible mandate
View
Date:2025-04-19 21:29:33
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A group of Oklahoma parents of public school students, teachers and ministers filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to stop the state’s top education official from forcing schools to incorporate the Bible into lesson plans for students in grades 5 through 12.
The lawsuit filed with the Oklahoma Supreme Court also asks the court to stop Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters from spending $3 million to purchase Bibles in support of his mandate.
The suit alleges that the mandate violates the Oklahoma Constitution because it involves spending public money to support religion and favors one religion over another by requiring the use of a Protestant version of the Bible. It also alleges that Walters and the state Board of Education don’t have the authority to require the use of instructional materials.
“As parents, my husband and I have sole responsibility to decide how and when our children learn about the Bible and religious teachings,” plaintiff Erika Wright, the founder of the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition and parent of two school-aged children, said in a statement. “It is not the role of any politician or public school official to intervene in these personal matters.”
The plaintiffs are represented by several civil rights groups, including the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
The suit also notes that the initial “request for proposal” released by the State Department of Education to purchase the Bibles appears to have been carefully tailored to match Bibles endorsed by former President Donald Trump that sell for $59.99 each. The RFP was later amended at the request of state purchasing officials.
It is the second lawsuit filed in Oklahoma seeking to challenge Walters’ mandate. Another lawsuit filed in June by a Locust Grove man currently is pending in Mayes County.
Walters said in a statement posted to his account on X that he will “never back down to the woke mob.”
“The simple fact is that understanding how the Bible has impacted our nation, in its proper historical context, was the norm in America until the 1960s and its removal has coincided with a precipitous decline in American schools,” Walters wrote.
Walters, a former public school teacher elected in 2022, ran on a platform of fighting “woke ideology,” banning books from school libraries and getting rid of “radical leftists” who he claims are indoctrinating children in classrooms.
veryGood! (9976)
Related
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Alaska high court lets man serving a 20-year sentence remain in US House race
- Studies on pigeon-guided missiles, swimming abilities of dead fish among Ig Nobles winners
- Takeaways from AP’s story about a Ferguson protester who became a prominent racial-justice activist
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Nikki Garcia Seeks Legal and Physical Custody of Son Matteo Amid Artem Chigvintsev Divorce
- Before that awful moment, Dolphins' Tyreek Hill forgot something: the talk
- Prince William’s New Rough and Rugged Beard Takes the Crown
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Tua Tagovailoa concussion timeline: Dolphins QB exits game against Bills with head injury
Ranking
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- All the songs Gracie Abrams sings on her Secret of Us tour: Setlist
- Longtime Mexican drug cartel leader set to be arraigned in New York
- 2024 MTV VMAs: Britney Spears' Thoughts Will Make You Scream & Shout
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Montana miner to lay off hundreds due to declining palladium prices
- Francis Ford Coppola sues Variety over story alleging ‘Megalopolis’ misconduct
- WNBA and Aces file motions to dismiss Dearica Hamby’s lawsuit
Recommendation
Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
Pilots of an Alaska Airlines jet braked to avoid a possible collision with a Southwest plane
1 person shot during scuffle at pro-Israel rally in Boston suburb, authorities say
Dancing With the Stars Season 33 Trailer: Anna Delvey Reveals Her Prison Connection to the Ballroom
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
Colorado teen hoping for lakeside homecoming photos shot in face by town councilman, police say
Smartmatic’s suit against Newsmax over 2020 election reporting appears headed for trial
Police recover '3D-printed gun parts,' ammo from Detroit home; 14-year-old arrested