The Oklahoma state attorney general’s office has addressed a recent directive by the state education superintendent, which mandates that his video message about a new Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism be shown to all public school students. The video features a prayer for President-elect Trump.
Republican Ryan Walters, who announced the establishment of the new office within the Department of Education, forwarded the directive to school superintendents all over the state. Walters explained that the new department would be tasked with investigating any violations of individual religious freedom or displays of patriotism.
According to the directive, “As one of the initial actions of the newly formed department, we are mandating that all Oklahoma schools play the attached video to all enrolled students.” The directive also stipulated that the video should be sent to all student’s parents.
In the video, Walters argues that religious freedom has been under attack and patriotism ridiculed by what he refers to as “woke teachers unions.” He then proceeds to say a prayer for the leaders of the country, clarifying that students are not obliged to participate in the prayer.
Walters, in his prayer, specifically mentions, “I pray for President Donald Trump and his team as they continue to bring about changes to the country.”
However, the state Attorney General’s office, through Gentner Drummond, responded by informing CBS News that Walters lacks the legal authority under state law to issue such a directive. Phil Bacharach, the spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, stated, “This decree is not only unenforceable, it goes against parents’ rights, local authority, and individual freedom of religious practice.”
Several school districts have also expressed their disagreement with the directive, stating they have no intention of showing the video to their students.
Walters, a former public school teacher who was elected in 2022, ran his campaign on a platform opposing “woke ideology,” supporting the banning of certain books from school libraries, and eradicating what he termed “radical leftists” who he claims were indoctrinating children in classrooms. Walters is currently facing two lawsuits over his previous mandate requiring schools to incorporate Bible teachings into lesson plans for students from grades 5 through 12. A number of school districts have already refused to comply with this mandate.
One of the lawsuits also points out that the initial request made by the State Department of Education to buy the Bibles seems to favor Bibles endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump, which sell for $59.99 each. Earlier this week, Walters announced the purchase of over 500 Bibles to be used in Advanced Placement government classes. The education department confirmed that these Bibles, known as “God Bless the USA Bibles,” were ordered at a cost of approximately $25,000 and are expected to arrive in a few weeks.
