From Judge John F. Heil III (E.D. Okla.) yesterday in Okla. State Dep't of Ed. v. Freedom From Religion Found.:
On March 31, 2025, Plaintiffs filed their Complaint seeking both declaratory and injunctive relief from this Court. Specifically, the Complaint alleges that Defendant "has interfered with and will continue to interfere with [Plaintiffs'] statutory authority to govern Oklahoma's public schools." Plaintiffs urge that both declaratory and injunctive relief are necessary "to ensure that [Plaintiffs] can faithfully execute their duties, as well as protect the constitutional rights of Oklahoma's public school students." …
On December 17, 2024, Defendant, a nonprofit advocacy group, sent a letter to Achille Public Schools ("APS") Superintendent Rick Beene ("Superintendent Beene") regarding "unconstitutional school-sponsored prayer and [B]ible readings." Specifically, the letter stated that "[a] concerned parent report[ed] that [APS] implemented a policy allowing teachers to read Bible verses at the beginning of their classes" and, further, that APS "has a custom and practice of beginning each school day with a 'mandatory student-led prayer' over the schools' intercom systems."
The letter requested that APS "cease permitting teachers to give students Bible lessons" and "ensure its schools refrain from coercing students to observe and participate in school-sponsored prayer." The letter set forth the legal basis for its assertion that school-sponsored prayer and Bible readings are unconstitutional. The letter concluded with a request that Superintendent Beene "respond in writing with the steps [APS] is taking to address" the complaint so that Defendant may inform the concerned parent.
