Oklahoman schools to integrate Bible into curriculum

Schools in Oklahoma must incorporate the Bible and the Ten Commandments into the curriculum, the State has said.

A directive from Oklahoma’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters requires state-funded middle and high schools to reference the Bible as a ‘foundational text’ across the syllabus.

Last month, Louisiana’s Governor Jeff Landry signed into law a Bill requiring all public schools to display a simplified version of The Ten Commandments.

‘Indispensable’

Announcing the requirement, Walters said “The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone.”

He added: “This is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.

“The Bible is one of the most historically significant books and a cornerstone of Western civilization, along with the Ten Commandments.

“They will be referenced as an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like, as well as for their substantial influence on our nation’s founders”.

Oklahoma kids will learn that the Bible and the Ten Commandments are foundational for western civilization. The left is upset, but one cannot rewrite history. pic.twitter.com/iZKhv9tKoc

— Superintendent Ryan Walters (@RyanWaltersSupt) June 27, 2024

Ten Commandments

In Louisiana the law now states that “each public school governing authority shall display the Ten Commandments in each classroom in each school under its jurisdiction”.

It also requires the display to be no less than 11 inches by 14 inches, and the text to be “the central focus of the poster or framed document”, printed in a “large, easily readable font”.

Alongside the Ten Commandments, schools must also mount a “context statement” outlining the prominent part they have played in American education.

Governor Landry said: “If you want to respect the rule of law, you gotta start from the original law”.