‘The woke radicals will not like it’: Oklahoma releases Bible guidelines for schools

Oklahoma on Wednesday released guidance to school districts on how to add the Bible into lessons plans, a move that the state mandated last month.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters wrote in the guidance that teachers should focus on the Bible’s historical, literary, artistic and musical influences.

“The radical leftist mob has tried to rewrite history in Oklahoma,” Walters told The Washington Examiner, which first obtained the new guidelines. “It stops today, and Oklahoma schools will refocus our kids’ education so they know the value of the bible in its historical context. The woke radicals will not like it. They will not believe it. However, they will teach it in Oklahoma.” 

The guidance focused on how the Bible impacted Western civilization and how it should be introduced for different age groups.

For high school, ethical and philosophical discussions are allowed, while fifth graders are looking at narrative elements and literary devices in regards to biblical text and context.

“The Bible is indispensable in understanding the development of Western civilization and American history,” said Walters. “To ensure our students are equipped to understand and contextualize our nation, its culture, and its founding, every student in Oklahoma will be taught the Bible in its historical, cultural, and literary context. As we implement these standards, our schools will maintain open communication with parents to make sure they are fully informed and full partners in their kids’ education.”

Walters said the guidance is mandatory despite some teachers vowing not to include the Bible in their lesson plans.  

The letter does include a section on legality and how to teach the Bible in what it calls a religion-neutral way, adding that teachers need to be inclusive of students with other beliefs.  

“By not promoting any religious beliefs, these guidelines ensure that the curriculum remains inclusive and respectful of all backgrounds and beliefs. The focus remains firmly on the educational and secular benefits of literacy and background knowledge rather than religious indoctrination,” the guidance said.

The mandate is still likely to be challenged in court as opponents argue it is a flagrant violation of the separation of church and state.

“The goal of all of these strategies is to assert Christian favor and privilege in America and to fight democracy’s steady march towards equality for all. It’s very much a backlash to all the progress that our society has made in recent times towards LGBTQ equality, towards women’s equality, towards racial equality and Black and brown equality,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, previously told The Hill.

The guidance comes after Oklahoma tried to implement the nation’s first religious charter school, which was struck down, and as Louisiana has mandated posters of the Ten Commandments in all classrooms, a move that is on pause while it is being challenged in court.