Oklahoma official cancels schools’ Bible-buying plan

The state’s new superintendent of public instruction, Lindel Fields, on Wednesday said he would not carry out his predecessor’s plan to hand out Bibles in schools and institute a Biblical character curriculum. Former superintendent Ryan Walters in 2024 announced plans to buy Bibles for integration into curriculum for grades 5-12. A group of 32 plaintiffs, mostly parents, sued Walters on grounds of religious liberty.

Superintendent Fields on Wednesday said he would file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and was reviewing the education budget. He said he might reallocate the resources from the Bible program.

The news came after the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Fields to file a report explaining whether he intended to carry out his predecessor’s plans to buy the Bibles. Fields’ withdrawal of the plan might end the lawsuit, the court said. The court in March temporarily blocked purchase of the Bibles.

The court on Wednesday also noted that Oklahoma’s education department experienced significant turnover recently. Walters resigned Oct. 1 to lead an education nonprofit group, the Teacher Freedom Alliance. Gov. Kevin Stitt replaced all the members of the state board of education shortly afterward.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on an Irish teacher barred from his school for refusing to use preferred pronouns.