Controversy Surrounds Oklahoma’s New Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma‘s education superintendent, Ryan Walters, has announced the creation of a Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism within the state Department of Education. In a move stirring controversy, Walters mandated that public schools play an introductory video about the new department to students and send it to their parents.

In the video, Walters claims that religious liberty has been attacked and patriotism ridiculed «by woke teachers unions,» followed by a prayer for U.S. leaders. Notably, Walters singled out a prayer for former President Donald Trump, urging for continued change led by Trump’s team. «Students do not have to join in the prayer,» Walters clarified in the video.

Walters highlighted that the new department will «oversee the investigation of abuses to individual religious freedom or displays of patriotism.» However, significant opposition has emerged from two of the state’s largest school districts. Both Edmond in suburban Oklahoma City and Bixby in suburban Tulsa have indicated they do not plan to play the video to their students. Meanwhile, Tulsa’s district had not immediately responded to requests for comment, and the Oklahoma City district is set to discuss the directive.

The state Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, responded assertively, stating Walters lacks legal authority for such a mandate. «Not only is this edict unenforceable, it is contrary to parents’ rights, local control, and individual free-exercise rights,» the Attorney General’s office declared in a statement.

Walters is already facing legal challenges from previous actions, including a June mandate concerning lesson plans for grades 5 through 12. Additionally, there is an ongoing legal dispute regarding Walters’s initiative to integrate Bibles into educational materials, which includes concerns over procurement and pricing.

According to an Associated Press report, the «God Bless the USA» Bibles, linked to Trump’s name, were produced in China despite Trump’s previous criticism of China’s trade practices. The education department has reportedly spent $25,000 to purchase over 500 of these Bibles for Advanced Placement government classes.

Walters, who served as a public school teacher before his election in 2022, campaigned on a platform that included banning certain books from school libraries and removing what he describes as «radical leftists» from influencing school environments.