Oklahoma’s new public schools superintendent, Lindel Fields, announced Wednesday he is rescinding a controversial mandate from his predecessor that forced public schools to incorporate the Bible into lesson plans for students in grades 5 through 12.
Superintendent Fields, appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt after former Superintendent Ryan Walters resigned last month, stated he has “no plans to distribute Bibles or a Biblical character education curriculum in classrooms.”
A spokeswoman indicated Fields believes the decision on Bible inclusion is best left to individual districts and that purchasing Bibles is not the best use of taxpayer resources.
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The 2024 directive from former Superintendent Walters, a far-right Republican, had drawn immediate condemnation from civil rights groups and prompted a pending lawsuit before the Oklahoma Supreme Court filed by parents, teachers, and religious leaders. The Oklahoma State Department of Education plans to notify the court of the decision and seek a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Many school districts across the state had already decided not to comply with the mandate. The agency also plans to review all of Walters’ mandates, including an “ideology exam” requirement for teacher applicants from California and New York, to determine if they should also be rescinded. Walters’ tenure focused on “fighting ‘woke ideology'” and banning certain books.
His new social studies standards, which included teaching about 2020 election conspiracy theories, are currently on hold due to a separate lawsuit.
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