The top elected education official in Oklahoma has a goal of placing a Bible in every school in the state.
Ryan Walters, superintendent of public instruction, told Fox News that his department has now allocated $3 million of its budget to the endeavor and announced that he will be asking for an additional $3 million in an upcoming legislative appropriation to the Republican-majority Legislature to meet his goal.
“There were several mechanisms that could have been used here,” he said. “Districts could have used the money already allocated for it. They could have used their textbook funds. But what we’re doing is we, as the state Department of Education, we’re saying we’re going to purchase the Bible for every classroom with $3 million We are actually going to purchase them, deliver them to the schools. And then, number two, we’re going to be asking for $3 million moving forward to continue to supply the schools with Bibles.”
Asked about any pushback from legislators or constituents, Walters said that on the whole, parents are excited to see the Bible back in schools so their kids are “going to have an understanding of the role the Bible played in American history.”
He noted that, decades ago, Bibles in non-parochial schools were the norm.
READ: A inside look at how bibles in classrooms will work
“We saw the Supreme Court being weaponized against the Bible in the classroom and prayer in school back in the 1960s,” he said. “And again, with the help of the teachers’ union, they were able to drive it out of our schools.”
A directive from Walters in June said school districts will be required to incorporate the Bible in their curriculum, and now his office has, and will continue to secure, funding so the state can provide the texts directly.
Former President Donald Trump has spoken out against “wokeness,” including in schools, and also has spoken about the importance of the Founding Fathers and what they called upon to build the country. Walters said he is taking those ideas and running with them.
“I think you’re going to see that there’s a trend moving forward that other states are going to follow Oklahoma’s example,” he said.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice & Fox News