Tag: oklahoma
Ryan Walters

Oklahoma Backlash Over Trump 'Prayer Video' Mandate In Public Schools

Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters defended on Monday his decision to force his state’s public schools to show students a video in which he spews right-wing rhetoric and asks students to pray for Donald Trump.

Walters told CNN’s Pamela Brown that his video is following through on Donald Trump's call for bringing prayer back to schools.

"President Trump has a clear mandate. He wants prayer back in school. He wants radical leftism out of the classroom, wants our kids to be patriotic, wants parents back in charge with school choice," Walters said, avoiding Brown’s question about what authority he has to demand students be shown his Christian nationalist prayer. "We are acting upon that agenda here in Oklahoma. That's what our parents want. Every county in Oklahoma voted for President Trump. His agenda is crystal clear, and we're going to enact it in the state of Oklahoma."

But even the state's Republican attorney general says that Walters does not have the authority to force schools to show his video.

"There is no statutory authority for the state schools superintendent to require all students to watch a specific video," Phil Bacharach, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office, told the Oklahoman. "Not only is this edict unenforceable, it is contrary to parents' rights, local control and individual free-exercise rights."

Walters first sent the video to superintendents around the state on November 15, writing in an email:

Dear Superintendent:

We are in a dangerous time for this country. Student’s rights and freedoms regarding religious liberties are continuously under assault. The newly created Department of Religious Liberty and Patriotism will be working to thwart any attempts to disrupt our Oklahoma student’s fundamental freedoms.

In one of the first steps of the newly created department, we are requiring all of Oklahoma schools to play the attached video to all kids that are enrolled. We are also requiring that that school districts send this video to all parents as well.

Students are encouraged but not required to join me in this prayer.

The email linked to this video, in which Walters criticizes the “radical left” and “woke teachers’ unions,” adding, “I pray for our leaders to make the right decisions. I pray, in particular, for President Donald Trump.” (In the video, placed on the desk before Walters are a Bible and a coffee mug with the Latin phrase “Si vis pacem, para bellum,” or “If you want peace, prepare for war.”)

Many of the state's largest school districts aren't showing the video, which seemingly violates the Constitution's separation of church and state.

Oklahoma ranks 49th in the country for grade-school education quality, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Lawmakers in the state are slamming Walters for issuing the unconstitutional mandate to show his inappropriate prayer video.

“We’ve got such a deficiency in reading and mathematics. Those are the things that in public education, I think we need to be focusing on and not a culture war,” Republican state Rep. Mark McBride told a local Oklahoma news station

But rather than fund efforts to better educate Oklahoman kids, Walters is seeking to spend millions of the state's education funding on thousands of Trump-endorsed Bibles for classrooms, which Walters is mandating be taught in all public schools for kids in grades five through 12.

The ACLU is suing Oklahoma over the Bible-education mandate, saying that Walters’ policy “imposes his personal religious beliefs on other people's children—in violation of Oklahomans’ religious freedom and the separation of church and state.”

It’s not the first time Oklahoma has gotten in trouble for trying to infuse religion into public education.

Last June, the Oklahoma Supreme Court in a 7-1 decision blocked a state policy to fund religious charter schools, saying, “Under Oklahoma law, a charter school is a public school. As such, a charter school must be nonsectarian.”

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Ryan Walters

Oklahoma Will Tell Public Schools To Treat Bible As 'Historical Document'

The State of Oklahoma appears to be poised to outdo Louisiana in its effort to inject Christianity into public schools, after a new announcement by the state's superintendent of public instruction.

On Thursday, ABC affiliate KOCO 5 News reported that Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters is now requiring all K-12 public school classrooms keep a copy of the Bible on hand, and to give it the same regard as a history textbook. The new policy is to be implemented "effective immediately."

"The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,” Walters said in the announcement. “Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation which is why Oklahoma educational standards provide for its instruction. This is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.”

"Adherence to this mandate is compulsory. Further instructions for monitoring and reporting on this implementation for the 2024/25 school year will be forthcoming," he added. "Immediate and strict compliance is expected."

This is merely the latest ideological move by Walters in his efforts to infuse extremist politics with public education in the Sooner State. Earlier this year, he appointed far-right social media influencer Chaya Raichik — who runs the LibsofTikTok family of social media accounts — to the Department of Education Library Media Advisory Committee. This gave Raichik an availability to influence what educational materials will be available to Oklahoma's public school students.

Raichik's appointment came despite her siccing a mob of her supporters on a Tulsa-area elementary school librarian, which resulted in six consecutive days of bomb threats being called into the school. After a critic called her a "stochastic terrorist" — which is defined by someone whose words or actions inspires acts of terrorism — Raichik boasted about it in an interview, saying it made her "feel really important."

In March, Owasso High School student Nex Benedict, a 16 year-old gender non-conforming student who was frequently bullied, died by suicide. Sean Cummings, who is a Democratic member of the Oklahoma City Council, attributed Benedict's death to Raichik's invective and said she had "blood on her hands."

Walters was sharply criticized in a column published in the Oklahoman for being insensitive to Benedict's death. Author Clytie Bunyan wrote that "Oklahoma Republican politicians are bent on making the state unwelcome for LGBTQ+ kids and their families."

"The loss of our student in Owasso is tragic for the family, the community, and our state," Walters stated at the time. "The LGBTQ groups pushing a false narrative are one of the biggest threats to our democracy and I remain, more than ever, committed to never backing down from a woke mob."

"If Walters can't say something with compassion after the tragic loss of a child, then he should say nothing at all," Bunyan wrote. "This is a time Walters should pause to realize he has an opportunity to lead with compassion and work with the family and the school to foster a more inclusive environment."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Oklahoma Official Wants Chaplains In Schools -- But Only 'Christian' Nationalists

Oklahoma Official Wants Chaplains In Schools -- But Only 'Christian' Nationalists

Visitors to Oklahoma’s State Schools Superintendent’s personal social media page will notice a post vowing to “ban Critical Race Theory, protect women’s sports, and fight for school choice,” a post linking to a Politico profile of him that reads, “Meet the state GOP official at the forefront of injecting religion into public schools,” a photo of him closely embracing a co-founder of the anti-government extremist group Moms for Liberty, and a video in which he declares, “Oklahoma is MAGA country.”

This is Ryan Walters, a far-right Republican Christian nationalist who is making a national name for himself.

“God has a place in public schools,” is how Politico described Walters’ focus.

Last week the Southern Poverty Law Center published an extensive profile of Walters, alleging “hateful rhetoric toward the LGBTQ+ community, calls to whitewash curriculum, efforts to ban books, and attempts to force Christian nationalist ideology into public school classrooms.”

“Walters is superintendent of public instruction, and public schools are supposed to serve students of all faiths, backgrounds and identities,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, told SPLC.

Walters is supporting new legislation in Oklahoma that follows in Texas’ footsteps: allowing untrained, unlicensed, uncertified, and unregulated religious chaplains and ministers to be hired as official school counselors.

“We heard a lot of talk about a lot of those support staffs, people such as counselors, having shortages,” Rep. Kevin West, a Republican, said, KFORreports. “I felt like this would be a good way to open that door to possibly get some help.”

Walters praised West, writing: “Allowing schools to have volunteer religious chaplains is a big help in giving students the support they need to be successful. Thank you to @KevinWestOKRep for being the House author for this bill. This passed the House yesterday and moves on to the Senate where @NathanDahm is leading the charge for this bill.”

As several Oklahoma news outlets report, there’s a wrinkle lawmakers may not have anticipated.

“With the Oklahoma House’s passage of Senate Bill 36, which permits the participation of uncertified chaplains in public schools, The Satanic Temple (TST) has announced its plans to have its Ministers in public schools in the Sooner State. If the bill advances through the Senate, this legislation will take effect on November 1, 2024. State Superintendent Ryan Walters, a vocal advocate for religious freedom in schools, has endorsed the legislation. The House approved SB 36 by a 54-37 vote on Wednesday,” a press release from The Satanic Temple reads. “The Satanic Temple, a federally recognized religious organization, has expressed its dedication to religious pluralism and community service.”

Walters responded on social media to The Satanic Temple’s announcement.

“Satanists are not welcome in Oklahoma schools, but they are welcome to go to hell,” he wrote.

Former Lincoln Project executive director Fred Wellman served up an equally colorful response.

“Hahahaha!!! You are an idiot,” Wellman wrote. “How did you not see this coming? Satanists, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Pastafarians…come one come all! After all you’re not trying to establish Christianity as the state religion are you? We had a whole ass revolution about that. There are history books about it…oh…right. Not your thing. What a fool.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) served up a warning.

“The state of Oklahoma cannot discriminate against people or groups based on their religious beliefs,” the non-profit group wrote. “Walters’ hateful message shows, one again, that he only believes in religious freedom for Christians and that he is unfit to serve in public office.”

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Kevin Stitt

Oklahoma's Stitt Becomes First Governor To Endorse DeSantis

Two weeks after declaring a 2024 presidential bid, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis received his first gubernatorial endorsement Saturday, CNN reports.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, also a Republican, backed the 2024 hopeful in a statement one day after DeSantis defended former President Donald Trump following his federal indictment.

According to CNN, leading up to DeSantis' Tulsa, Oklahoma visit on Saturday, Stitt insisted DeSantis is "the right guy to beat Biden for the next eight years."

Stitt emphasized, "As a proven leader, DeSantis has boldly delivered results for the people of Florida that laid the groundwork for a booming economy, an education system focused on student outcomes, and better infrastructure for working families," before saying he believes DeSantis can "deliver these same results all across America."

Additionally, the Oklahoma leader gave a nod to DeSantis' move to "ban mask mandates" in Florida at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, "As fellow Governors during COVID, DeSantis did not surrender states' rights and individual liberties over to groupthink."

In January, the 2024 hopeful chose to ban COVID protections despite Florida ranking "eighth in total coronavirus cases per capita and thirteenth in total coronavirus deaths per capita."

Politico reported in April, under DeSantis' leadership, the state's surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, "personally altered a state-driven study about COVID-19 vaccines" in 2022 "to suggest that some doses pose a significantly higher health risk for young men than had been established by the broader medical community, according to a newly obtained document."

CNN reports, "Stitt is among DeSantis' highest-profile endorsements to date," in addition to Reps Bob Good (R-VA), Laurel Lee (R-FL), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Chip Roy (R-TX).

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

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