Oklahoma Supreme Court urged to block Bible mandate in public schools lawsuit
OKLAHOMA CITY, (KOKH) — Plaintiffs in the Rev. Lori Walke v. Ryan Walters lawsuit are encouraging the Oklahoma Supreme Court to block Walter's request for Bibles and Bible-infused instructional materials.
Oklahoma parents, public school teachers, and faith leaders filed a brief on Tuesday with the Oklahoma Supreme Court requesting that the court block state officials from fulfilling Walter's Bible requests.
A request for an injunction to stop the spending of millions of taxpayer dollars on Bibles is already pending within the court.
In January and February, the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) submitted new requests for proposals for 55,000 Protestant Bibles.
The proposals also included "supplemental instructional materials that effectively integrate the Bible and character education into elementary-level social studies curriculum".
"The separation of church and state guarantees that families and students - not politicians - get to decide if, when, and how to engage with religion," said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United. "Superintendent Ryan Walters continues to abuse the power of his office to advance a Christian Nationalist agenda and impose his personal religious beliefs on other people's children. Not on our watch. We're proud to defend the religious freedom of all Oklahomans, from Christians to the nonreligious."
The plaintiffs in the Walke v. Walters lawsuit are represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Oklahoma Foundation, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
"This Bible mandate is a deliberate power grab that violates Oklahoma law and flouts the separation of church and state," said Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. "Public-school students, families, and teachers - and the taxpayers who support them - deserve better."
"Oklahoma schools should be a safe and welcoming environment, focused on providing an equal education to all students, regardless of faith," said Megan Lambert, legal director of the ACLU of Oklahoma. "Today's brief is another demonstration of how communities can come together for a common fight to reject the use of religion as a cover for repression. We must continue to protect the individual rights of students and families to choose their own faith or no faith at all. The separation of church and state is a bedrock of our nation's founding principles."
The Walke v. Walters lawsuit, filed on Oct. 17, 2024, came after Walters Bible mandate that required all public schools in Oklahoma to incorporate the Bible into their curriculum.
"Oklahoma families should not have to contend with religious promotion in their children's public school classrooms," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. "And Oklahomans should not have to watch their tax dollars be used by their state to promote Ryan Walters' preferred holy book."
"The costs of these outlandish actions by our State Superintendent continue to climb and he shows no signs of slowing," said Colleen McCarty, executive director of Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. "We're facing a budget shortfall and Oklahomans simply cannot afford these stunts for much longer. Oklahomans need a leader who will maintain the rule of law and educate our kids."
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