By: Skylar Teddington
In June 2024 state Superintendent Ryan Walters announced the controversial rule requiring educators across the state of Oklahoma to teach the Bible in their classrooms.
This mandate raised concerns among Oklahoma teachers and parents alike with some questioning the constitutionality of the decision.
Abington v. Schempp declared school-sponsored Bible reading and prayer unconstitutional in 1963, and freedom of religion is guaranteed in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution — also, the Bible was already allowed to be taught in schools prior to this mandate.
Lawton Public School (LPS) Transportation employee and parent Martina Zilles spoke out against the mandate.
“I’m not a fan of it because it seems against our Constitution,” Zilles said. “We’re supposed to have freedom of religion. This mandate goes against that. I want my kids and other kids to make up their own choice of religion.”
Zilles added that there are more pressing issues to consider, such as bullying and teaching kids empathy.
“I’d rather the schools keep the Pledge of Allegiance and teach students the proper respect and behavior for the National Anthem,” Zilles said, “to teach empathy and understanding that people live their lives differently and to not bully anybody unless they’ve endured the same hardships.”
The necessity of the mandate seems questionable, and Zilles’ sentiment was shared by a mother and LPS Child Nutrition employee who wished to remain anonymous.
“My main issue from a child nutrition standpoint is that religious dietary restrictions aren’t really a priority,” the source said, “and the kids who need options aren’t always given them or informed what they could eat as an alternative. I think that should be the school board and state’s first priority over allowing Bible education.”
She also believes that other religions should be considered when it comes to education and spoke about the lack of options for students from different religious backgrounds.
“We used to have turkey sausage, but they went back to pork and chicken,” she said, “I think that they should have turkey sausage options or just offer more vegetarian options daily to accommodate religious dietary restrictions.”
It’s unknown if the mandate has affected the LPS district yet or if it ever will, despite Walters stating he expected “immediate and strict compliance” in a memo sent to school superintendents across the state.
Walters told NBC News that teachers who didn’t comply with the mandate could lose their teaching license; however, that claim has been proven mostly false.
State law gives local school districts the power to determine what will be in the curriculum, though teaching licenses could be revoked for breaking state or federal law.
It’s still unclear how Walters’ mandate will affect Oklahoma families and schools; however, these changes appear to be minimal for now.