Oklahoma’s schools superintendent tells students to watch for announcement of new religious department

EDMOND, Oklahoma. – Oklahoma’s superintendent of education has sent an email to public school leaders demanding they show it to students video announcement of the new Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism within the state Department of Education.

Ryan Walters, Republican, announced the new office sent an email to school superintendents across the state on Wednesday and Thursday.

“As one of the first steps of the newly created department, we are requiring all Oklahoma schools to play attached video for all children enrolled,” the email said.

Districts were also ordered to send the video to all students’ parents.

In the video, Walters says religious freedom is under attack and patriotism is mocked by “woke teacher unions,” then prays for the leaders of the United States after students are told not to join the prayer.

“I am personally praying for President Donald Trump and his team as they continue to bring change to the country,” Walters said.

In announcing the new division, Walters said it would “oversee investigations into violations of individual freedom of religion or expression of patriotism.”

Two of the state’s largest districts, Edmond in suburban Oklahoma City and Bixby in suburban Tulsa, said they had no plans to show students the video.

A spokesman for Tulsa County, the state’s largest, did not immediately return a phone call for comment. A spokesman for Oklahoma City County, the second largest, said county officials would meet to discuss the email.

State Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office released a statement Friday saying Walters lacked the authority under state law to issue such a mandate.

“Not only is this ordinance unenforceable, it is inconsistent with parental rights, local control, and individual rights to freedom of exercise,” the statement said.

Walters is already a face two lawsuits during its June mandate that schools include the Bible in lesson plans for students of grades 5-12. Sprat school districts previously stated that they would ignore the mandate.

One of the lawsuits also notes that the original request for proposals issued by the state Department of Education to purchase Bibles appears to have been designed to Bibles endorsed by now President-elect Donald Trump which retail for $59.99 each.

There was a request for proposal later changes were made at the request of public purchasers.

Associated Press reported in October that Trump’s God Bless the USA Bible was printed in China, a country Trump has repeatedly accused of stealing American jobs and engaging in unfair trade practices, for less than $3 a Bible.

Earlier this week, Walters announced that he had purchased more than 500 Bibles for use in the state’s Advanced Placement classrooms.

The education department said in a statement that the 500 “God Bless Bible USA” Bibles were ordered Thursday for about $25,000 and will arrive “in the coming weeks.”

Walters, a former public school teacher up for election in 2022, is running a platform to fight “awakened ideology”, ban books from school libraries and get rid of the “radical left” he says are indoctrinating children in classrooms.