State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters said Thursday that more than 500 Bibles had been purchased for Oklahoma public school classrooms.
The announcement — which did not say whether the state or a private donor had purchased the Bibles, nor did it reveal how much the books cost or specify when they would arrive in classrooms — is the latest in a series of moves by Walters as he works to works to raise its national profile.
Newly elected Republican President Donald Trump is quickly filling out his new Cabinet, and Walters’ name has been mentioned by some national news media as a potential pick for education secretary or adviser. Both Trump and Walters have called for the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education.
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Walters said the Bibles would be used in Advanced Placement classrooms across the state. He said this move was “the first in the nation that the Bible was purchased explicitly for use in schools as an academic and literary resource,” and described the purchase as “the first step toward providing Bibles for every classroom in the state.”
The purchase was separate from an earlier request for proposal from the Oklahoma Department of Education for 55,000 Bibles. That request was withdrawn after it came under criticism, but the agency said Thursday that it expects to reissue a modified version soon.
“We are focused on ensuring we get Bibles into every classroom in our state as quickly as possible,” Walters said in a news release.
State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks during a GOP watch party on election night, hours before Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump was declared the winner of the presidential race.
Dan Isett, a spokesman for Walters and the Oklahoma Department of Education, did not immediately respond to questions about how the Bibles were purchased or obtained. He also provided no documentation for the claim that the development represented a “first-in-the-nation Bible purchase” for public schools.
The push to place Bibles in schools follows Walters’ mandate, which calls for the book to be made available in all classrooms. Walters has repeatedly touted the legally challenged mandate in national media appearances in the days since Trump’s election.
He has also appeared several times to discuss his support for Trump’s education agenda.
Over an eight-hour period Thursday, Walters shared four clips from recent national media appearances on his X account, tagging the president-elect in three of the posts. “@realDonaldTrump has outlined the boldest, most aggressive education agenda in our nation’s history,” Walters captioned one of the clips.
Walters recorded that NewsNation interview, along with several other TV and online appearances, from what appeared to be his state office.
He also issued a five-point memo detailing his plans for Oklahoma schools during Trump’s presidency and said he plans to form a committee to implement Trump’s agenda in the state.
On Tuesday, he announced he also planned to open a state education agency dedicated to ensuring religious freedom and patriotism in schools.
He has agreed to spend as much as $6 million in taxpayer money to distribute Bibles in classrooms across the state.
More: Ryan Walters is downplaying the urgency of the Bible mandate lawsuit filed in the state Supreme Court
His efforts have faced pushback from civil rights groups, taxpayers, parents and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore.
McBride, the outgoing chairman of the House of Representatives subcommittee on education, told The Oklahoman last week that he believed Walters’ original plans to implement Trump’s agenda in Oklahoma were an attempt to steal the president-elect’s attention. Pull.
“I find it funny that less than 48 hours after Trump’s election, Walters is already talking about what the Trump administration is going to do,” McBride said. “Personally, I will wait until the adults in the room – meaning President Trump and his team – decide before I get excited.”
Staff writer Murray Evans contributed.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ryan Walters says more than 500 Bibles purchased for Oklahoma schools
