Oklahoma schools superintendent: Bibles will be in classes despite no money to buy them

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

May 21, 2025, 2:29 a.m. ET


OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s top education official is insisting classrooms will all have Bibles by fall, even though the state's Republican-controlled Legislature has no plans to give him the $3 million he requested to buy the books.

Whether that — or state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters' broader attempts to require schools to teach from the Bible — will come to fruition could depend on the outcome of multiple lawsuits pending in Oklahoma courts, one of which will soon have an important hearing.

Without providing specifics, Walters said during a May 16 news conference that his agency has "already been exhausting multiple avenues" to acquire copies of the Bible. His remarks came days after legislative leaders and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced a deal for the fiscal year 2026 budget, dismissing Walters’ $3 million request to buy more Bibles despite slightly increasing funding for the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

“The Legislature can put the money there or not," Walters said. "We're going to have a Bible in every classroom this fall. So that's going to happen. So we're doing that. We've been very straightforward on how we're doing that.” Conservative lawmakers across the country have been leading an effort to spread religious teachings to public school classrooms, including introducing the Bible into reading lessons and requiring classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2025/05/21/oklahoma-superintendent-bibles-classrooms-funding/83760053007/

[SCantiGOP]

1. Put Bibles in the schools

While taking free lunches out.
The exact opposite of the Christian ethos.

[forgotmylogin]

24. They can use them as a door-jamb during shooting episodes.

obviously

[stillcool]

2. Maybe they can

get rid of school buses and ride horses to school packing a pistol and a bible.

[Srkdqltr]

3. Have the churches donate them. Duh.

[wcmagumba]

4. The bible is a mess of contradicting bronze age fairy tales and ego trips...imo

Last edited Wed May 21, 2025, 12:28 PM - Edit history (2)

Edit: Actually, Bronze, Iron and Classical age fairy tales and ego trips...
Yes, I'm a non-believer...burn away...

[appleannie1]

5. We should send them copies of every religion's books so they can have a library.

[riversedge]

6. Well, lets have Superintendent Ryan Walters' and all the OK Repugs DONATE their salaries!!

[Doodles]

7. I know where...

They can find a whole bunch in hotel nightstands.

[Easterncedar]

8. The sexy psalms will be well read

Do these nuts even know what’s in there? Lot and his daughters, anyone? If I were into banning books for age-inappropriate sexual content, maybe I’d start with that one.

[JustAnotherGen]

9. Can't he just buy them direct from China?

Seems like a viable option these days.

[EarlG]

10. The Bible is no longer a holy book to conservative "Christians"

It's just bling that they can use to signal their "righteousness." They want to put a Bible in every classroom so they can pretend that they're more important than everyone else.

If they actually read the thing, they'd find that half of it contains more sex and violence than most of the books they've banned from classrooms recently, and the other half tells them to live and behave in a way that is diametrically opposed to the way they actually live and behave.

[LiberalArkie]

11. There used to be Gideon new testaments in middle school back when. But my speculation is that

maybe only the Old Testament's will be in the schools as I do not think that they want that "woke" stuff from that Mexican guy taught.

[Marthe48]

12. Bibles aren't helping in churches

what makes the asses think they'll work any better in schools? If rwnj worked on educating kids, instead of reducing them to idiots, the whole world would be a better place.

ok. education is no education at all.

[William Seger]

13. How is that not "respecting an establishment of religion?"

That's a rhetorical question, since it obviously is and is obviously unconstitutional, but phony Christians tend to also be phony patriots. They say they'll fight to the death defending the 2nd Amendment, but the 1st? They'd repeal that in a heartbeat, because it says their religion doesn't make them special -- and that's their whole reason for pretending to be Christians.

[SouthBayDem]

14. Nice fiscal conservatism, 48th best education state!

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education

[marti]

15. school Bibles

I wonder what naughty Engish teacher starts reading the dirty parts:

[BigDemVoter]

16. Will they have a Torah and a Koran in every classroom too?

Oh yeah, right.

[wcmagumba]

17. And great teachings of the Buddha...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path

[Paladin]

18. Hey, Oklahoma: Just ask trump for a bunch of his bibles, for free.

I'm sure he'll fork over as many of them as you need, gratis.

[Dogberry57]

19. Old Testament "Christians"

have no idea what they are talking about. Why do they always want to post the ten commandments (without saying which ten they recommend) instead of the Beatitudes? I guess they don't believe in peacekeepers or the meek.

[tanyev]

20. They should get a committee together of all the denominations

to decide which translation is the most accurate and appropriate.

If it goes anything like the discussion at a church where I was a member over what color the new carpet should be, they’ll be arguing for years.

[Dave Id]

21. The Bible

Number one selling book of fiction in history. Great teaching aid. /s

[Wonder Why]

22. Replace existing schools with one room schoolhouses and unmarried schoolmarms. That'll learn 'em!

[Karasu]

23. Some states are already too far gone. That one is as cooked as a well-done steak.