Video: Oklahoma won’t enforce Walters’ controversial Bible order
Interim communications director Tara Thompson announced that Lindell Fields will not be forced into the controversial assignment, which was supported by Ryan Walters.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s new public schools superintendent announced Oct. 15 that he is rescinding an order by his predecessor that required schools to teach the Bible and display Bibles in classrooms.
Superintendent Lindell Fields announced his decision a day after the Oklahoma Supreme Court gave him two weeks to decide whether to revoke former Superintendent Ryan Walters’ mandate and halt the Oklahoma Department of Education’s attempt to purchase Bibles for these classrooms.
In June 2024, Walters ordered the state’s public schools to incorporate the Bible into their curriculum “as an instructional support” for grades 5 through 12. The order received national attention as Walters’ effort to introduce Christian teachings into public schools.
“While we plan to file a motion to dismiss, we have no plans to distribute the Bible or the Biblical Character Education Curriculum in classrooms,” Fields said in a statement. “The timing is fortunate as my team and I are currently looking at the budget, if any resource allocation remains.”
Walters resigned on Sept. 30 to take a job in the private sector, and Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Fields as superintendent on Oct. 2. The Oklahoma Supreme Court had given Fields an Oct. 28 deadline to decide on the mandate, which is at the center of the ongoing lawsuit.
“I couldn’t be more disappointed in the decision to walk away from empowering Oklahoma’s teachers to use foundational texts like the Bible in their classrooms,” Walters posted on social media on Oct. 15.
Former Superintendent Ryan Walters’ lawsuit against Bible commands
Tara Thompson, interim spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, said in an Oct. 15 briefing that resolution of the lawsuit known as Walk v. Walters has been brought forward as a priority due to a court-ordered deadline.
A group of more than 30 Oklahoma residents sued Walters, the state Education Department, the Oklahoma State Board of Education, and the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) in October 2024 over the mission and Walters’ attempt to purchase Bibles with public funds.
In its order, the state Supreme Court noted that in addition to Walters, there was a “substantial change in public officials” named as defendants in the lawsuit. None of the State Board of Education members named in the lawsuit are currently serving on the school board, including Rick Rose, who resigned from the OMES board last month.
“The court notes that the resignation of Superintendent Ryan Walters may ultimately lead to resolution of the pending litigation,” the order, signed by Chief Justice Dustin Rowe, reads.
“To the extent that the new Director intends to revoke or revoke any or all of the above directives and (Request for Proposals), now is the time to so recommend to the court,” the order states.
After the authorities update the court on Mr. Fields’ intention not to enforce his obligations, the plaintiffs will have 10 days to respond and tell the court whether they believe there are any remaining claims for the court to respond to.
Alex Luchenitzer, a lawyer for one of several civil rights groups representing plaintiffs in the case, said he was encouraged to hear that Fields would not pursue Biblical commands and would discuss next steps with his clients.
“The promise of separation of church and state guaranteed in the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions means that families and students, not politicians, can decide when and how to interact with religion,” said Rushenitzer, vice president and associate legal director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “The attempts to promote religion in the classroom and the abuses of power committed by the Oklahoma State Department of Education during Mr. Walters’ tenure must never occur again in Oklahoma or anywhere in the United States.”
Oklahoma State Department of Education is working to resolve legal issues
The case has been pending in the state Supreme Court for several months. On March 10, the court blocked the state Department of Education’s second “request for proposals” to spend $3 million on Bibles and another RFP already issued for a Bible-based curriculum for Oklahoma classrooms.
In a lawsuit filed in court in July, Walters said he was “asking” the court to lift the suspension, saying it was “essential that the Department of Education be authorized to proceed with securing and purchasing curriculum materials in accordance with the (new social studies scholar) standards approved by both the State Board of Education and the Oklahoma State Senate.”
Implementation of those standards, which include dozens of references to Christianity and its influence on U.S. and world history, has also been blocked by the Supreme Court as part of a separate lawsuit.
More than a dozen lawsuits filed against Walters are pending in state or federal court. Thompson said on Oct. 15 that the department is working to resolve the issue.
“Quite frankly, we want these lawsuits dismissed as soon as possible, because not only is this helpful to the employees and is a distraction in some ways, but again, it costs taxpayers money,” Thompson said.
“So I can say that we are prepared to have these discussions through the appropriate legal channels in order to resolve as many cases as possible peacefully. If we have to go through the court system, that is the purpose, but we are hopeful that we can resolve some of these relatively quickly,” she continued.
