Politics

Ryan Walters announces purchase of 500 Bibles for Oklahoma classrooms

KOSU | By Graycen Wheeler

Published November 14, 2024 at 5:19 PM CST

A stack of books, including three Bibles, sits on the boardroom table beside State Superintendent Ryan Walters at the June 2024 State Board of Education meeting.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education announced Thursday it has purchased more than 500 Bibles for use in Oklahoma classrooms.

A statement from State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ office said it’s the nation’s first purchase of Bibles explicitly for use as teaching tools in public schools.

The statement didn’t provide details about how much the Bibles cost or where they came from. A spokesperson for Walters didn’t immediately respond to requests for clarification.

This announcement comes a week after OSDE suddenly canceled a search for a vendor to provide 55,000 Bibles for classrooms. That would have followed a formal process for competitive bidding to ensure frugality with taxpayer money.

Walters’ office said it will soon open a new search to purchase more Bibles.

"We are focused on ensuring we get Bibles available in every classroom in our state as quickly as we can," Walters said in a statement.

The hundreds of Bibles OSDE has already acquired are intended for Advanced Placement U.S. Government classrooms.

Walters’ quest to put a Bible in every Oklahoma classroom has been met with questions of legality from lawmakers and a lawsuit from parents, teachers and faith leaders.