An Oklahoma education department launched a new taxpayer-funded division aimed at protecting religious expression and patriotic displays in public schools.
A recent incident involving the removal of Bible verses from a public school classroom, following a complaint from a secular organization, led to Ryan Walters, the superintendent at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, establishing the Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism, the Oklahoma Voice reported.
Walters has been a vocal advocate of religious and patriotic education, and has long opposed restrictions on religious expression in schools. He has claimed that restrictions have lead to declining academic and social outcomes.
The move aligns with President-elect Donald Trump's stated educational goals, including promoting "Freedom to Pray" and dismantling the U.S. Department of Education in favor of state control.
The Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism, overseen by Walters, consists of safeguarding the rights of students, teachers and parents to freely express their religious beliefs and patriotic sentiments within Oklahoma's public schools.
The office will also investigate potential cases where these rights may be infringed upon, with plans to issue guidelines to schools to ensure the protection of prayer rights.
"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," Walters said in a statement. "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."
Meanwhile, several organizations, parents and educators have raised concerns over the potential violation of the constitutional separation between church and state.
Thirty-two concerned individuals have come together to sue Walters in hopes of blocking his Bible education mandate and preventing the use of state funds to purchase Bibles.
"Superintendent Ryan Walters cannot be allowed to employ the machinery of the state to indoctrinate Oklahoma's students in his religion," Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of Freedom From Religion Foundation, told the Oklahoma Voice. "Thankfully, Oklahoma law protects families and taxpayers from his unconstitutional scheme to force public schools to adopt his preferred holy book."
The Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism announced Tuesday that it will begin implementing guidance for schools in the coming days.
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