But the board’s bold move will have a major impact in a positive way on the state’s 5.5 million public school students, Ryan Walters, the former state superintendent of Oklahoma schools, said on American Family Radio Monday.
The board voted 9-5 in favor of a new mandatory reading list that includes Bible passages and stories.
The new standards require students to analyze approximately a dozen Bible passages, ranging from David and Goliath in second grade to the Book of Job in 10th grade, alongside classic literature like works by Charles Dickens.
“So, this is the context of which America came together to create a system of government, recognizing our rights come from God. Our society is built around this moral infrastructure from the Bible,” Walters told show host Jenna Ellis.
The vote of the 15-member board fell largely along party lines, though Republican Evelyn Brooks, citing teacher autonomy and constitutionality concerns, voted with four Democrats.
Democrat Rebecca Bell-Metereau was absent for the vote but had previously expressed strong opposition.
All nine yes votes came from Republicans.
Walters sought to include similar requirements in Oklahoma’s state curriculum in June 2024 but lacked meaningful support. His initiatives were eventually overturned by the state supreme court.
Walters resigned on Sept. 30, 2025 to take a private-sector job opportunity and is now CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance.
Understanding the Bible’s impact on laws, government and literature is critical, he says.
“First of all, we are not going to continue to be a great country if the next generation doesn't understand why our system of government was put together, how our society functioned.”
Denying Bible education is “absolutely academic malpractice,” Walters said.
Walters first issued a directive requiring all Oklahoma public schools to incorporate the Bible as an "instructional support" for grades 5-12.
He instructed Oklahoma teachers to compare and analyze the Bible’s influence on art and history, sought vendors for Bible-based lessons for elementary students, and attempted to use state funds for the purchase of 55,000 King James Version Bibles.
Noncompliance and lawsuits predictably followed.
“How do you even understand literature throughout American history if you don't understand the themes and the influence that the Bible had on nearly every prolific writer in American history?” Walters asked.
Supporters of the Texas Board argue the change reinforces Judeo-Christian values and American heritage, while critics contend it violates the separation of church and state and marginalizes non-Christian students.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, the atheist group, calls the move government-sponsored religious favoritism and warned of potential legal challenges regarding the First Amendment.
“A mandatory public school reading list should never function as a bible lesson,” says FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Texas is telling millions of children that one religion deserves the government’s seal of approval, while everyone else is an afterthought.
Diane Miller, of the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts, says there’s not enough time in the day for Bible education.
“The lists will eat up weeks of valuable instructional time. It’s a bridge too far to cross,” she told The Houston Chronicle.
But Bible literacy enhances the school day rather than detracting from it, Mary Castle of Texas Values said.
“The process of reviewing and revising the standards ensures that accurate history is taught that will encourage an appreciation of the past and also encourage students to be informed citizens today. The revised Social Studies standards will determine what the next generation of Texans believe about their country and themselves.”
Some Christians don’t support expansion of Bible education in public schools for fear that the next steps will include lessons from the Quran, the religious text of Islam, or some other non-Christian texts.
History invalidates religious equity argument
It’s an invalid argument, Walters says.
“They need to show us where the Quran had a heavy influence on America's founding because it didn't. This is history,” he said.
Left-leaning educators and politicians can successfully use the other texts argument because the Bible isn’t being taught in schools.
“They have pulled any reference to the Bible out of our history classes,” Walters said.
A public debate might clear up things, he added.
“Let’s debate this and its academic merits. Here are all the references to the Bible. Here's our history. This is what Benjamin Franklin said. This is what George Washington said. Show me where the Quran was heavily quoted throughout the founding era. It wasn't,” Walters said.
