(NewsNation) — As schools have become arenas for various moral and cultural debates, many Republican-led states are seeking to expand Christianity in schools amid conservative pushes to incorporate religion into classrooms across the country.
Oklahoma is the latest state to do so, mandating schools to not only have a Bible in classrooms but also to incorporate it into their teachings.
It follows similar legislation in Florida that allows school districts to enlist volunteer chaplains to counsel students, and a new Louisiana state law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Legislators in Kentucky, Utah, and Texas are trying to pass similar laws.
It’s essential kids understand the Bible: Oklahoma superintendent
Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters has ordered public schools to immediately begin incorporating the Bible into lesson plans for students in grades five through 12.
In a memo to school leaders statewide Thursday, Walters said the Bible is a cornerstone of Western civilization and that its use in classrooms is mandatory.
“It is essential that our kids have an understanding of the Bible and its historical context,” he said.
Is Oklahoma’s Bible order part of a national trend?
Oklahoma’s directive marks the latest move by conservative-led states to include religious teachings in public schools.
Louisiana has required its public schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms, while others are under pressure to teach the Bible and ban books and lessons about race, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Last week, the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked the state’s attempt to establish the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school.
“It could well be that some of these developments are appropriate and some of them go too far,” said Richard Garnett, a law professor and director of the Notre Dame Program on Church, State & Society.
“There have been times in the last decades where people went too far in kicking religion out of the public square. The Supreme Court has told people that’s not what the First Amendment requires. Now you’re seeing adjustments.”
Is the superintendent authorized to mandate biblical instruction?
The implementation of Oklahoma’s mandate appears unclear at this point.
While the state law and academic standards already permit the Bible’s use in classrooms, Walters’ directive makes it compulsory.
“Every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom, and we’ll be teaching from the Bible in the classroom,” Walters said.
He asserts that Oklahoma state law and academic standards are “crystal clear” that the Bible can be used to instruct students in public schools. Indeed, Oklahoma social studies standards list various biblical stories, as well as other religious scriptures from Buddhism and Hinduism, as primary instructional resources for students.
What’s not clear is whether Walters can mandate the Bible’s use in classrooms. Oklahoma state law says that individual school districts have the exclusive authority to determine curriculum, reading lists, instructional materials and textbooks.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.