Parents, Teachers, Clergy Suing To Halt Bible Mandate In Oklahoma Classrooms

A Tulsa attorney is one of eight representing nearly 30 people who are suing to stop a Bible mandate issued by the State Department of Education. It calls for $3 million to be spent to buy Bibles for Oklahoma classrooms.

The plaintiffs include parents, teachers, and church leaders. An attorney representing the group says this has nothing to do with restricting religion, but with using taxpayer money to promote it.

State Superintendent Walters says the Bible is necessary in classrooms to teach historical context.

More than 30 plaintiffs claim Walters' Bible mandate violates the law in a 50-page lawsuit. Included among the plaintiffs is Cleveland County parent Erika Wright, who says she is a woman of faith but believes it's not the state's job to teach it.

"We believe that it is solely our responsibility as parents and as Christians to make the decisions around how and when our children will engage with discussions and teachings about the Bible," she said.

Eight attorneys from inside and outside Oklahoma are representing the plaintiffs. Among them is Oklahoma Appleseed Executive Director Colleen McCarty.

"The Oklahoma Constitution prohibits any taxpayer dollars going toward religious spending of any religion," she said.

Walters says understanding how the Bible impacted the country was normal until the 1960s. He goes on to say the removal of Bibles from schools coincides with what he calls the decline of American schools.

In a statement, Walters says in part, "It is not possible for our students to understand American history and culture without understanding the Biblical principles from which they came."

McCarty says many of the plaintiffs are religious themselves and just want the State Department of Education to follow the law.

"A lot of them are religious people that are very passionate about their faith, but they are concerned about conflating religion and government. That's been against the foundational principles of America from the very beginning," she said.

Attorneys anticipate things could move quickly in this case because they asked a judge to stop the state from spending money on the Bibles while the case goes through the courts.