Walters annouces purchase of over 500 Bibles to be used
The VistaChris Erler
Contributing Writer
State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced on Thursday the purchase of over 500 Bibles to be used in Oklahoma public school classrooms. Walters also released a video to be played in classrooms that encourages students to join him in prayer.
Ryan Walters announced the Bible purchase in a statement.
“By acting now, Oklahoma is leading the country on a path toward greater focus on academic excellence by providing critical historical, cultural, and literary context for our students. We are not going to change our history, and the Bible is a major part of that,” Walters said.
These Bibles will be used in Advanced Placement (AP) government classrooms. AP classes are electives and are not part of the standard curriculum. The recent Bible purchase is separate from the prior request for 55,000 Bibles that include historical documents such as the U.S. Constitution. That request was later withdrawn.
Also on Thursday night, Ryan Walters emailed every Oklahoma superintendent that included a 90-second video to play in every classroom. In the video, Walters accuses the “radical left” and “woke teachers’ unions” of infringing on religious liberties and pushing “a hatred for this country.”
Then, Walters invites students to join him in prayer.
“Dear God, thank you for all the blessings you gave our country. I pray for our leaders to make the right decisions,” said Walters. “I pray in particular for President Donald Trump and his team as they continue to bring about change to our country.”
Several school districts have declined to show the prayer video in classrooms. Edmond Public Schools announced it would not show the video after it received conflicted emails from Ryan Walters. Shortly after receiving the original email, EPS received a retraction. Jenks Public Schools also chose to not play the video.
The Superintendent of Bixby, Rob Miller, also declined to show the video. Rob Miller is currently suing Ryan Walters for defamation after Walters called him a liar and a clown at a news conference.