The Oklahoma Education Department, led by the pro-faith State Superintended Ryan Walters, is moving to create the “Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism.” The initiative is the latest effort from Walters, who has made headlines for his faith-based efforts at the state level, such as putting the Christian Bible back in classrooms across Oklahoma.
On Tuesday, Walters announced the establishment of the religious liberties office at the State Department of Education. According to reports, the office will “serve to promote religious liberty and patriotism in Oklahoma and protect parents, teachers, and students’ abilities to practice their religion freely in all aspects.” Furthermore, the office will investigate violations of religious liberty in the state.
Ever since taking office, Walters has maintained conservative stances toward the role of faith in the education system arguing for its integration into the public school systems. For example, Walters has taken a stance that the Bible is an integral part of American history and, therefore, should be included in the state curriculum. However, as to be expected with secular leftist opponents of Christianity, Walters’ efforts have faced legal attacks.
Walters stated, “For decades our nation’s public schools have tragically been ground zero for the erosion of religious liberty across our country. The radical left never misses a chance to co- opt the teacher unions and their minions to indoctrinate our children against traditional values of faith and family, seeking to attack any display of faith or religion or patriotism. It is no coincidence that the dismantling of faith and family values in public schools directly correlates with declining academic outcomes in our public schools. In Oklahoma, we are reversing this negative trend and, working with the incoming Trump Administration, we are going to aggressively pursue education policies that will improve academic outcomes and give our children a better future.”
A statement from the Oklahoma State Department of Education continued, “The new office will be charged with supporting teachers and students when their constitutional rights are threatened by well-funded, out of state groups as happened in Skiatook last year when a school was bullied into removing Bible quotes from a classroom. At the time, Superintendent Walters was clear in his assessment: “the removal of Bible verses from display in Skiatook under the threat of a baseless lawsuit is unacceptable. The Constitution guarantees, and the Supreme Court has affirmed in Kennedy v. Bremerton, the right of teachers to religious freedom and expression. American citizens do not give up their right to practice their faith at the schoolhouse door or anywhere else.”
Moreover, the announcement expresses that the initiative is in line with President-elect Trump’s plans with faith and education, such as the “Freedom to Pray,” which champions the right to pray in American schools. The press release added, “Oklahoma is and will do all in its capacity to ensure that that both student and teacher’s rights to prayer are protected and upheld.” The statement noted, “In the coming days, Superintendent Walters will be highlighting how SDE is planning to allocate resources that will support and expedite the “Ten Principles For Great Schools Leading To Great Jobs” as outlined in President Trump’s Agenda 47.”