Oklahoma school leaders pray for state superintendent to shut up and leave them alone

Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters was once a high school history teacher, but seems to have forgotten about the First Amendment's rule against establishing a state religion. Walters told districts to show students a video of him touting his new Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism and praying for President Trump.

School districts across the state have told parents they won't show the video, report Murray Evans and Molly Young for The Oklahoman.

Walters has no authority to require students to watch a video, said Phil Bacharach, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office. "Not only is this edict unenforceable, it is contrary to parents’ rights, local control and individual free-exercise rights.”

"Where has the common sense gone?," asked state Rep. Jacob Rosecrants, D-Norman. "The Republicans I know aren’t for this kind of crap. They love their public schools, and they understand local control and listen to their (district) superintendents, and they don’t want someone telling them what to do.”

Walters' also announced that the Oklahoma Department of Education has bought 500 Bibles for AP Government classes. He said the Bibles will be used as a literary and historical resource. Eventually, he wants a Bible in every classroom in the state, but the department dropped a specification that matches only Trump-endorsed Bibles.

The Legislature never approved funding to buy Bibles, State Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, told The Oklahoman. "I don’t know I have a problem with buying 500 Bibles … but where did you get the money? I just wish we would focus on reading, writing and arithmetic.”

Are there lawsuits? Yes, of course. I think providing the Bible as a resource -- in school libraries -- makes sense, but I'd guess it's already there.