State lawmakers, teachers discuss value of Bibles in schools | News

Amid national discussion about the U.S. Department of Education’s future, Oklahomans debate a recent Bible mandate and state education policy.

Along with numerous education reforms, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to eliminate the federal Department of Education in favor of state and local control of schools. The department has faced criticism as students’ test scores continue to drop and more funding is requested.

In a campaign video released in 2023, Trump detailed 10 principles for reforming education, which include eliminating teaching critical race theory and other progressive ideologies and protecting prayer in schools. Trump also said he would promote parental rights, local election of principals and patriotism. 

On Nov. 19, Trump named Linda McMahon as the education department’s new secretary. After serving on the Connecticut Board of Education, McMahon was CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. She has served as chair of the America First Policy Institute, a research nonprofit. During Trump’s first term, McMahon served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration, which provides loans and support to small businesses.

In a statement on Truth Social, Trump wrote McMahon has increased education accessibility for low-income students and parental rights by promoting school choice.

“We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort,” the statement read.

The National Education Association published a press release condemning the selection, writing that McMahon would decrease the department’s budget and ultimately eliminate it. According to Becky Pringle, the association’s president, the department must be maintained to keep education opportunities public and accessible.

“Parents and educators will stand together to support students and reject the harmful, outlandish, and insulting policies being pushed by the Trump administration,” the release read.

On Nov. 7, State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Department of Education released a memo that highlights the benefits of eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving states more authority in education. 

Those benefits include parental control, promoting patriotism and rejecting progressive ideas and foreign influence in the classroom, according to the memo. 

“As we prepare for important and impactful changes to public education policy in the coming months, the Oklahoma State Department of Education will be directing agency resources to ensure the above priorities are championed and that Oklahoma schools are equipped to smoothly adapt while maintaining the highest standards of education for our students,” the memo read.

Four days later, Walters announced an advisory committee within the state Department of Education to implement education reforms anticipated under the Trump administration. 

In December, the state Department of Education published a press release condemning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools, citing a report from Parents Defending Education that found the Biden administration has spent $1 billion nationally and $400,000 in Oklahoma on DEI programs. 

“Under President Trump, we made significant strides in reclaiming our schools from federal intrusion,” Walters said in the release. “While the Oklahoma media and political establishment turn a blind eye to the undue influence of the federal government over public education, I will remain vigilant against any attempt to impose radical ideologies on our children.”

Rep. Jacob Rosecrants (D-Norman) said he opposes closing the education department, though he is against the standardized testing run through the state Department of Education’s Office of Assessments.

However, eliminating the federal Department of Education is unlikely, Rosecrants said, because it will require the support of Congress. Though both the House and Senate will have Republican majorities when Trump begins his second term, Rosecrants said he won’t be able to secure the vote. 

Instead of closing the department, Rosecrants said Trump will likely change how it functions. According to Rosecrants, Trump chose McMahon to lead the department so he could control it.

“Much like maybe Ryan Walters has changed our state Department of Education, basically torn it down from within,” Rosecrants said. “That’s what I think will be very much more likely than (Trump) just eliminating the department.”

‘What we’re doing is teaching history’

In September, Walters announced a proposal to supply every public school classroom with a Bible, setting aside $3 million and requesting another $3 million to fund the purchase. 

The order followed a letter in June that called for schools to incorporate the Bible into fifth through 12th grade curricula. The curriculum guidelines include examining the Bible’s historical context, literary significance and influence on culture. The guidelines state it must not be used to promote any religious beliefs, and educators must communicate with parents about the content of their lessons. 

On “The Michael Knowles Show” in October, Walters said teaching the Bible is essential because it plays a key role in American history.

“We’re not pushing a religion on kids, we’re not forcing a religion on kids, what we’re doing is teaching history,” Walters said. 

On Nov. 8, the Oklahoma State Department of Education canceled its search for a vendor to supply the Bibles without explanation.

On Nov. 14, the department announced in a press release it would move forward with the plan by purchasing over 500 Bibles for Advanced Placement government courses across the state. Department spokesperson Dan Isett said the Bibles cost $25,000, according to the Oklahoma Voice. 

“I will take every step possible to ensure Oklahoma students have the resources they need to fully understand American history,” Walters said in the release. “By acting now, Oklahoma is leading the country on a path toward greater focus on academic excellence by providing critical historical, cultural, and literary context for our students.”

OU Daily contacted Isett for a statement on Dec. 9, and was referred to their media room website, which contains existing press releases. 

Rosecrants posted the purchase order on social platform X, showing the department purchased the Trump-endorsed “God Bless the USA” Bibles, which include American founding documents and cost $60 each. In the post, Rosecrants wrote it was a waste of taxpayer dollars.

“If you really want to get Bibles in a school and have kids read them and teachers teach out of them, you can do that with an app,” Rosecrants told OU Daily. “It’s just ridiculously a political stunt.”

YouVersion’s Bible app is a resource that provides the Bible in over 2,000 languages and over 3,000 versions for free. The app has been installed on over 900 million devices, according to its website. 

Rosecrants believes Walters wanted to be noticed by the Trump administration and had hopes of being secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. He said Walters is not malicious and does have some “decent” ideas, but there must be someone behind these political maneuvers.

“He’s still not stopping, and I think he’s going to continue on and on, because I believe he’s going to run for governor or superintendent again,” Rosecrants said. “Either way he’s going to have to be the furthest right of the right.”

Norman Public Schools Superintendent Nick Migliorino wrote in a statement to OU Daily the district has created an inclusive environment by not promoting or threatening any faith. He wrote NPS is not expecting to surpass its “clear legal guideposts.”

“At this time, our previous position on use of Bibles in our schools has not changed,” the statement read.

In July, Migliorino told the Norman Transcript that NPS classrooms would not follow Walters’ guidance about curriculum changes to include the Bible. 

On Dec. 19, the state Department of Education released revised standards for social studies curriculum for public feedback, which it does every six years. According to Walters, the new standards advance Bible initiatives by including at least 50 references to Christianity. Additionally, the curriculum includes more content about Oklahoma’s tribal history and the Tulsa Race Massacre.

“These are the strongest history standards in the entire country,” Walters said at a Oklahoma Board of Education meeting. “These standards are pro-American, they’re pro-American exceptionalism and they strengthen civics and an understanding of our constitution at every grade level.”

David Schmus, former public school teacher and executive director of Christian Educators — a professional association that supports and equips Christian public school teachers by informing them of education laws —  said teachers legally cannot advance their beliefs in the classroom, religious or otherwise, but they can answer students’ questions. 

“It’s just as illegal for a teacher to get up and say, ‘You’re a fool if you believe in God,’ as it is for a teacher to say, ‘You should believe in God and pray this prayer,’” Schmus said. “Both those things are equally unconstitutional.”

Schmus said he supports Walters’ efforts to get Bibles into public schools if done in accordance with the law, however, he believes some of Walters’ messaging is “provocative.” He said it’s completely legal to academically study the Bible. 

“What you can’t do is turn your course or your curriculum that covers the Bible into a devotional experience,” Schmus said. “We’re not going to pray or say that these are things you should believe, but the Bible should be studied in schools. It is the basis for much of our laws, much of our literature.”

Schmus referenced a 2010 study that found having and practicing religious faith reduces the achievement gap, which describes the disparity in academic success between groups of students, often used to analyze success disparity across race or class. 

“What the data says is that students who have a faith background that is supported at home and allowed to be expressed in school, that those students and the schools in which they attend have better academic results,” Schmus said. 

Schmus said the Bible is the most important historical and literary work in history, and students should be familiar with it. 

“I think it’s very important that schools and school officials, teachers encourage and allow students to exercise their faith,” Schmus said. 

Barbara Ohsfeldt is the principal and a Bible teacher at Community Christian School, a private Christian school in Norman, and has been with the school for 38 years. Ohsfeldt wrote in an email to OU Daily that the Bible is regularly taught in all grades at the school and all students have one. 

“I believe the Bible taught to our students each day gives knowledge and understanding that enables them to have a personal relationship with Christ, and eventually eternal life in Heaven,” Ohsfeldt wrote.

Ohsfeldt wrote that a Christian education shows students both a Christian and secular worldview. The Christian worldview frames all understanding around the Bible, “God’s inspired Word,” she wrote.

‘It’s not my place to preach to my students in a public school’

As prospective teachers, OU education students voiced their opinions about Walters’ order and the potential closing of the Department of Education. 

Anna Escovedo, an elementary education junior and member of Kappa Delta Pi, an education honor society, said the executive order is a waste of money. She said it ignores larger issues with education that need fixing, for example, students’ with poor reading and math skills.

“(It’s) to appeal to the conservative Christian base, (which) makes it clear to me that he doesn’t actually care about the students, and is out of touch with what’s actually happening in classrooms,” Escovedo said. “It’s not going to help anyone.”

Escovedo is concerned younger students won’t understand the New King James version of the Bible Walters chose. According to Escovedo, teaching about Christianity does have a place in private and homeschool education, but not public.

“I’m also saying all of this as a Christian, but I also understand that as a teacher, it’s not my place to preach to my students in a public school setting,” Escovedo said. 

Escovedo said world religions should be studied because they impact culture and shape societies, but teachers can’t tell their students what religion to follow. 

“I don’t see how that truly benefits the students of Oklahoma, and it’s also just giving teachers one other thing that they have to do,” Escovedo said. “They’re already overworked and they’re already tired. There aren’t enough minutes in a day to do everything that they’re supposed to do.”

Walters created the Bible mandate because he wanted a spot in Trump’s Cabinet, Escovedo said, and that’s a questionable motive.

“Does he really think that this is the best thing for Oklahoma and the best thing for Oklahoma students and parents and communities, or is he doing it for personal gain to, you know, someday reach the national level, like, further his career?” Escovedo said.

Escovedo said Trump trying to close the Department of Education is alarming, because it provides programs for low-income students and students with disabilities. According to Escovedo, it’s an appeal to conservatives, who are largely “anti-education.” 

“There are certainly problems with the education system, but it seems to be that conservatives in America go with, ‘Well, if something’s broke, let’s just get rid of it,’ instead of trying to fix it,” Escovedo said. “And that seems to be his tactic with the Department of Education.”

Ty James, a freshman and former elementary education major and education district representative in OU’s Undergraduate Student Congress, said he supports the Bible being implemented into public schools because it’s beneficial for students and he’s heard some families strongly support it.

“(Some families) feel that the classroom is different teaching than a Sunday school classroom,” James said. “So if we incorporate both into one, it would feel more like the teaching is a lot of learning and stuff about where we came from and everything, and not a separate, different thing.”

James said the decision should ultimately be left to schools. He said if he were a teacher, he would send home a flyer on the first day of school to let parents know students would be learning about the Bible. 

Walters’ recent policy is not an attempt to win Trump’s favor, James said, because this is not the first time legislators have tried to get the Bible into public schools. 

“This has been going on for a while now, so I don’t feel like it’s a push to get on (Trump’s) side or to get in with him,” James said. “He’s just trying to do it just so that the Bible can actually get taught in school.”

James said closing the Department of Education is a bad idea, but regardless, he doesn’t think it will pass through Congress.

“We have so many future generation kids that are becoming who they are because of the Department of Education and all the resources that they have given us,” James said.

Zachary Tait, a language arts education junior and vice president of the Oklahoma Aspiring Educators Association, said students can learn about the Biblical basis of history, but the curriculum change is unnecessary and takes choice away from teachers.

Tait said teachers are in a position to know what best practices in education are, and the proposed curriculum takes choice away from students as well.

“Really anything that takes away students’ agency or students’ ability to learn is upsetting,” Tait said.

According to Tait, this policy would hinder teaching other religions, and he said students should be able to decide what they want to learn and write about. 

“Granted, the Bible is used as one of the most alluded to texts in literary works,” Tait said. “But using other texts too is beneficial.”

In response to Trump’s intent to dissolve the Department of Education, Tait wrote in a text message that several education programs are federally funded. 

According to the department, federal funds cover about 8% of education expenses in elementary and secondary education, and its programs and responsibilities have grown substantially since it was founded. Programs for students with disabilities, college financial aid and state testing are funded by the department, according to the U.S. government’s official budget for 2025. 

“The effects are yet to come but it’s important to remember to put kids first and learn from history,” Tait wrote in a text message. 

Caitlin Brown, a language arts education senior, said although she is a Christian and supports Walters’ efforts, religion shouldn’t be forced on students. Brown is a prospective literature teacher, and said she would teach about religion and include religious texts to provide historical context, the way her former history teacher did.

“He was like, ‘Regardless of your religious beliefs, we’re going to analyze this passage with a historical and academic lens,’” Brown said. “I think I would honestly take that own approach.”

Brown said schools can teach Christianity’s core beliefs because they will help each student be a good person. Additionally, seeing Christian topics in schools could be a comfort to students who come from religious families, Brown said. 

“It should be something casually presented,” Brown said. “It’s not being thrust upon the students, but something that they’re being gradually pulled into learning.”

This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure, Ana Barboza and Ismael Lele. Mary Ann Livingood and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.