'There's Enough For Teachers To Do Without Adding More:' Local School District Responds To OSDE Bible Memo

Local school districts are responding to a memo sent out by State Superintendent Ryan Walters that says Bibles will be required in Oklahoma classrooms.

A few weeks after the announcement, most districts say they’re still waiting for clarity from the State Department of Education on how they are being advised to implement the new directive.

News 9 sat down with the Deer Creek Superintendent, who says he is still confused about the idea. 

“The initial thoughts were just more or less confusion,” said Dr. Jason Perez, Superintendent for Deer Creek Public Schools. “We have already in state statute, where teachers are allowed to use biblical and religious documents as far as references for the standards that we teach.”

The memo from Superintendent Walters reads in part, “Effective immediately, all Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum across specified grade levels. This directive is in alignment with the educational standards approved on or about May 2019, with which all districts must comply.”

“Honestly this would be something that we really wouldn't have discussed before because of that separation that's been in place for a long time between church functioning and school functioning,” said Dr. Perez.

Dr. Jason Perez says Deer Creek’s policies match with the state statute that's been in place for years. 

“So I didn't really see where there would be a significant change to our practices with the memo that arrived,” said Dr. Perez. “We have in place right now if a student wants to bring a bible to school and read from it that's perfectly fine. We have students of all different varying religions and backgrounds and we want them all to feel welcome in our schools.”

Following the confusion from the memo, Dr. Perez says he and teachers in the district are waiting on additional guidance from the state Department of Education.

“For my teachers that have flat out asked me, am I going to be expected to teach from the bible, I've made it very clear to them, that is not the expectation in our district,” said Dr. Perez.

In Deer Creek, Dr. Perez says their main focus is on prepping for the upcoming school year and ensuring they’re complying with state law that is already on the books.

“There's enough for the teachers to do without adding more to their plates,” said Dr. Perez. “Whether we receive that guidance or not, isn't really going to have a significant impact on how this school year is going to work for us.”

Multiple lawmakers have explained that a change in policies must go through multiple steps before becoming a statewide mandate.

If the State Superintendent wants to formally require the bible in schools, he must recommend a change, and then allow a review board to discuss the proposal. If the board formally recommends a change, it would move on to a public comment period where Oklahomans would have the chance to voice their opinions.

From there, the full State Board of Education would vote on the formal change. Lawmakers say changes to the curriculum in the state would not be eligible until the 2025-26 school year.