Oklahoma made Bibles mandatory in schools. The new superintendent is reversing course.
Lindel Fields has ‘no plans to distribute Bibles’
A school bus makes its way past a marker depicting the Ten Commandments outside of Peebles High School in Ohio in 2002. Photo by Mike Simons/Getty Images
By Hannah Feuer October 16, 2025
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Oklahoma public schools will no longer require Bibles in classrooms or use a biblical curriculum, state superintendent Lindel Fields announced Thursday.
Fields’ predecessor, Ryan Walters, resigned last month following repeated controversy over his focus on culture war issues and accusations that his office television screened explicit images during a meeting with education officials. Walters had made Bible-centered instruction a hallmark of his tenure and mandated that every public school classroom in Oklahoma have a state-approved copy.
The directive drew lawsuits from faith leaders and parents who argued that the Bible mandate violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause.
Now, attorneys for the Oklahoma State Department of Education said they will notify the court of the reversal in policy and file a motion to dismiss. Opponents of Walters’ policies hailed the decision as a win for the separation of church and state.
“This is the right move,” said state Rep. Melissa Provenzano, a Democrat who represents Tulsa. “Religious guidance is deeply personal to every family. It belongs in the rightful hands of parents and guardians, not our public schools.”
The turnabout comes amid a growing push to infuse Christianity into public schools. Last November, a federal judge struck down a Louisiana law requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments. The case is expected to reach the Supreme Court. Similar lawsuits over a law requiring the Ten Commandments in schools are ongoing in Texas.
Walters, interviewed by the Forward last July, defended his policy as a way to teach the Bible in the context of history rather than as a religious text. He said biblical history could also be incorporated into subjects like art and mathematics.
“How do you cover the artwork and not mention the Bible when you’re looking at the Renaissance?” Walters said.
Walters, who is now working as CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, an organization that opposes the influence of teachers’ unions, weighed in on the reversal with a post on X.
“I could not be more disappointed in the decision to move away from empowering our teachers in Oklahoma to use a foundational document like the Bible in the classroom,” Walters posted. “The war on Christianity is real.”
