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Oklahoma’s new schools chief is walking back his predecessor’s plan to incorporate the Bible into the state’s educational curriculum.
Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Lindel Fields to the position after Ryan Walters resigned last month to join the conservative group Teacher Freedom Alliance. Walters became known for pushing a far-right curriculum and had sought to place 55,000 Bibles in public schools, drawing the ire of advocates for the separation of church and state. He also tried to require schools to play a video of him praying for Donald Trump and establish chapters of Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA in all state high schools.
“In my last seven years, it has been clear 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,” Stitt said in a statement upon appointing Fields.
On Wednesday, Fields announced that he has “no plans to distribute Bibles or a Biblical character education curriculum in classrooms” and intends to file a motion to dismiss the ongoing litigation over the policy. Last year, 32 plaintiffs — including 14 parents, four teachers and three faith leaders — sued Walters over his Bible mandate.
In March, the Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily blocked the state’s Education Department from purchasing Bibles with tax dollars and implementing the biblical curriculum while the case was pending.
More than 500 Bibles were purchased for Advanced Placement government classes at Walters’ direction before he resigned.