New Oklahoma Superintendent Rescinds Bible Mandate

U.S.|New Oklahoma Superintendent Rescinds Bible Mandate

Oklahoma will rescind a mandate to put Bibles in every public school classroom, the state’s new superintendent said this week, a sign that the state is moving away from some of the most contentious policies under its previous superintendent, Ryan Walters.

The new superintendent, Lindel Fields, said he had “no plans” to distribute Bibles or enforce the mandate, which would have required teachers across the state to teach from the Bible.

The Bible mandate was a signature initiative of Mr. Walters, a conservative known for his focus on culture war issues in education. But his aggressive style also left him at odds with the state’s Republican governor and other leaders in Oklahoma. He resigned late last month to lead a nonprofit focused on fighting the influence of teachers’ unions.

The Bible mandate was being challenged in court, and the Oklahoma Supreme Court had given the new superintendent two weeks to decide whether to keep it in place.

Mr. Fields, who spent his career focused on vocational training, was appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt on Oct. 2.

His appointment signaled a shift away from the culture wars that had marked Mr. Walters’s tenure. Before leaving office, Mr. Walters instructed Oklahoma schools to hold a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk and said he would require teachers coming from New York and California to pass an “America First” test before being hired.

Mr. Fields is now charged with lifting academic outcomes in a state that consistently ranks near the bottom in reading and math.

He has said he is uninterested in running for office in 2026, something the governor said he saw as an asset during the interview process.

In his announcement appointing a new superintendent, Mr. Stitt blasted Mr. Walters, saying that “the operation of this agency and the well-being of Oklahoma’s students have taken a back seat to the political ambitions of the individual who holds this position.”

“It’s a new day for Oklahoma students,” he said. “I want us to be top 10 in everything we do, and we need a top 10 education system to achieve that. Lindel will give the agency a fresh start and get it back to its mission of producing top tier students.”

Mr. Walters, a former history teacher, said in a text message on Thursday that he was “extremely disheartened that we have leaders bowing down to unions and the radical left.”

“This is a blow to our country, our Constitution, and to Christians all across our country,” he said of the decision to rescind the Bible mandate. “The most important document in our nation’s history, the Bible, got banned.”

Upon taking office this month, Mr. Fields said he would begin a three-part plan to “turn around” the Oklahoma Department of Education. That includes reviewing pending lawsuits and assessing current department contracts, such as any potential contract with PragerU, a company that makes conservative educational materials.

“The team is dedicated to making sure that taxpayer dollars are well spent,” a spokeswoman told reporters on Wednesday.

On the state website, Mr. Fields’s biography says he is “focused on improving reading proficiency, strengthening teacher recruitment and retention, and expanding career pathways for students across the state.”