Republican state Superintendent Ryan Walters said in a recent interview that teachers in Oklahoma must teach the Bible or "they can go to California," in response to controversy over the state's recent mandate.
Last month, the Oklahoma State Department of Education issued a memo to school superintendents announcing that schools would be "required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum across specified grade levels."
The announcement sparked a controversy.
State House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, decried the move as "unlawful" and "nothing more than an attempt to strip Oklahomans of their religious freedom." And Newsweek reported that thousands of people have signed a petition by the Christian organization Faithful America opposing the rule as "blatant disregard of the common good and America's commitment to religious freedom for all."
Walters last Saturday defended the rule in an interview with Fox News, saying, "I'm going to tell these woke administrators, if they're going to break the law and not teach it, they can go to California. Here in Oklahoma schools, we're going to make sure that history is taught.
"We want our kids here in Oklahoma to understand American history better than any in the country, and we're laying out a roadmap for every state to follow," he added.
Walters also said that the requirement has wide support from parents in Oklahoma, noting that "when I ran three years ago, they were crystal clear. Why in the world are we not teaching our kids that our rights came from God? Why in the world are we not referencing all these unbelievable moments in American history where the Bible was cited? It is absolutely part of our history."