Dear MoveOn member,
On Thursday, Oklahoma's far-right and extreme State Superintendent Ryan Walters shockingly announced that he would require the Bible to be taught in fifth through 12th grades, a clear violation of students' freedom of religion. He even suggested providing a uniform curriculum to direct how educators incorporate the Bible into their classrooms.1 This is right out of the Christian nationalist playbook and, if enforced in Oklahoma, could signal other far-right extremists to pass similar requirements in states across the country.
There's nothing wrong with teaching a religious text as part of history and culture. But forcing students of diverse faiths and religions to learn one specific religious text and not any others is wrong. Oklahoma's recent Bible mandate is part of a growing Christian nationalist movement to break down the walls separating church and state. And public schools—not just in Oklahoma but across the country—are ground zero. We can't let that happen.
Last year, Oklahoma officials tried to approve a publicly funded religious charter school, which would have been the first in the country. Just last week, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against it, but it's likely to be appealed.2 This Bible mandate is just the beginning, and we have to make sure leaders know that we are ready to fight to protect religious pluralism essential to our democratic freedom and values.
Superintendent Walters ran—and won—on a platform denouncing "woke ideology" and promoting book bans, so it's ironic but no surprise that he has continued pushing an extremist agenda by mandating the Bible in public schools across the state. This is the same superintendent who has been vehemently opposed to critical race theory in schools, sparking outrage when he implied that the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, where white people in Oklahoma killed 300 Black people, was not due to racism.3
His announcement follows just days after Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a state law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in public school classrooms. Similar bills were introduced in Mississippi and West Virginia, and one was passed in Arizona that would allow–not require—teachers to display the Ten Commandments.4 This is clearly part of a coordinated conservative playbook to take control of our public schools, undermine public education, and push an extreme Christian nationalist agenda nationwide. We have to stop it in its tracks.
Thanks for all you do.
–Aliya, Amy, Emily, Soraya, and the rest of the team
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