The Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction informed superintendents in each of the state's school districts that they were required to play a video of him inviting viewers to join him in praying for President-elect Donald Trump for students and parents within their school district.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters stated in an email to other leaders in education, obtained by KOSU, that his office would be "requiring all Oklahoma schools to play the attached video to all kids that are enrolled." He further mandated that "school districts send this video to all parents as well."
Walters began the video by announcing the introduction of a new office to Oklahoma's State Department of Education: the Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism. Walters established the office after an incident at a high school where Bible verses were removed from a classroom due to a complaint from a secular organization.
"I will now say a prayer, and to be clear students, you don't have to join. But if you so wish, I'm gonna go ahead and pray," Walters stated in the video.
"Dear God, thank you for all the blessings you've given our country. I pray for our leaders to make the right decisions. I pray in particular for President Donald Trump and his team as they continue to bring about change to the country," he continued.
The state superintendent also took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of religious liberty, blaming "the radical left" and "woke teachers unions" for the anti-American sentiment he claimed was beginning to grow in educational settings.
"For too long in this country, we've seen the radical left attack individuals' religious liberty in our schools. We will not tolerate that in Oklahoma. Your religious liberties will be protected," Walters stated.
"We've also seen patriotism mocked, and a hatred for this country pushed by woke teachers' unions. We will not tolerate that in any school in Oklahoma. We want our students to be patriotic. We want our students to love this country. We want all students' religious liberty to be protected," he continued.
Walters, an avid Trump supporter, released a memo days after the 2024 election, declaring his willingness to assist the President-elect in dismantling the Department of Education.
"For decades, the U.S. Department of Education has unjustifiably expanded federal power over American education," Walters said in the memo, obtained by The Oklahoman.
"By eliminating the federal bureaucracy, money can be efficiently directed to local schools and allow disenfranchised parents to have more direct say over education in their states and communities."
