An Oklahoma school district will not follow a directive from the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters requiring the Bible to be taught as part of public education.
Norman Public Schools Superintendent Nick Migliorino told local media last week that he doesn’t plan to enforce Walters’ directive for social studies classes to expand their inclusion of the Bible.
Migliorino’s stance has drawn the support of some families and Democratic elected officials, including Democratic Oklahoma House Rep. Annie Menz, who represents Norman.
In response to the elected officials supporting the school district, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Department of Education told Fox 25 that the stance was “anti-knowledge.”
A spokesperson said, “Oklahoma parents have demanded schools get back to basics, eliminate woke indoctrination, and focus on a solid background in history and civics. The Bible is foundational to American history and culture, and it is academic malpractice not to include it in instructional materials.”
Walter’s directive has gained national attention and comes not long after the state of Louisiana passed a law requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in public school classrooms, sparking a national conversation around the limits of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.