Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's superintendent of public instruction,
announced the order with immediate effect at Thursday's
Department of Education board meeting, in which he said special
attention will be afforded to the Ten Commandments.
"Every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible
in the classroom, and will be teaching from the Bible in the
classroom to ensure that this historical understanding is there
for every student in the state of Oklahoma," he said.
He called the Bible, the holy scriptures of Judaism and
Christianity, one of the "foundational documents of ... Western
civilization." He said important historical figures, including
civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., referred to the
text.
Both the Hebrew and Christian Bible include the Jewish prophet
Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, while only
the Christian Bible includes the New Testament. Walters, who is
Christian, did not stipulate which version teachers must use to
comply with his order, and his spokesperson declined to answer
questions.
The Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution's First
Amendment has been interpreted to prohibit the state from
sponsoring or establishing any particular religion. The Oklahoma
Constitution goes further, stipulating that any public school
and spending of public funds must be nonsectarian, and not
benefit "any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion."
That part of the state constitution was cited two days before
Walters' announcement, when the Oklahoma Supreme Court struck
down an effort in which Walters was involved to create the first
taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the U.S.
The main teachers' labor union in Oklahoma said Walters' Bible
order was unconstitutional and that state law said school
districts have the right to decide which books are available in
their classrooms.
"Teaching about the historical context of religion (and the
Bible) is permissible; however, teaching religious doctrine is
not permissible," the Oklahoma Education Association said in a
statement. "Public schools cannot indoctrinate students with a
particular religious belief or religious curriculum."
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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