Oklahoma Schools Superintendent Rescinds Bible Mandate

Oklahoma City, OK, October 17, 2025

News Summary

Lindel Fields, the new public schools superintendent of Oklahoma, has rescinded a controversial mandate that required Bibles to be included in classrooms and lesson plans. The initial directive, established by his predecessor Ryan Walters, faced significant backlash and prompted a lawsuit from parents, teachers, and religious leaders. Fields clarified that he would not distribute Bibles or create a Biblical character education curriculum. The decision is in response to civil rights concerns and is part of a broader review of Walters’ policies.

Oklahoma City, OK – Oklahoma’s new public schools superintendent, Lindel Fields, has officially rescinded a controversial mandate that required public schools to include Bibles in classrooms and lesson plans. The directive, initiated by his predecessor Ryan Walters, mandated that the Bible be incorporated into lessons for students in grades 5 through 12. Fields stated he has no plans to distribute Bibles or implement a Biblical character education curriculum in classrooms.

The reversal comes amid significant backlash from civil rights groups and a pending lawsuit filed by a coalition of parents, teachers, and religious leaders. This lawsuit is currently being reviewed by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Following Walters’ resignation to pursue a role in the private sector, Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Fields to lead the state’s school system.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education’s attorney, Jacki Phelps, has announced intentions to notify the court regarding the rescission of the Bible mandate and to file a motion to dismiss the ongoing lawsuit. In response to Fields’ decision, attorneys representing the plaintiffs expressed optimism and intend to discuss the next steps with their clients.

Though Walters’ Bible mandate received attention, many school districts across Oklahoma opted not to comply with it. Tara Thompson, representing the state education department, indicated that decisions pertaining to the teaching of the Bible should be left to the discretion of individual districts and highlighted that allocating taxpayer money for Bibles is not a current priority.

During his tenure, Walters actively sought funding for bringing Bibles into classrooms. Attempts included partnering with country music singer Lee Greenwood to solicit donations after a $3 million funding request was denied by a legislative panel. Walters’ initiatives also targeted what he termed “woke ideology,” and he aimed to ban specific books from school libraries while attempting to remove “radical leftists” from classrooms.

In addition to the rescinded Bible directive, Walters established new social studies standards intending to teach conspiracy theories related to the 2020 presidential election. These standards are also currently on hold due to the ongoing legal challenge. Fields’ administration intends to review all of Walters’ mandates, which also includes an exam requirement for teacher job applicants from California and New York to assess their ideologies.

According to state law, responsibility for a case shifts to the successor when a public officer named in a lawsuit leaves office. Thus, Superintendent Lindel Fields is now tasked with the situation regarding the classroom Bible mandate as the Oklahoma Supreme Court has established an October 28 deadline for him to provide clarity on the mandate’s status.

This announcement coincides with a broader fiscal audit currently being conducted within the Oklahoma State Department of Education aimed at improving the organization’s financial oversight and management.

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HERE Resources

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Additional Resources

• ABC News
• Wikipedia: Oklahoma
• CBS News
• Google Search: Oklahoma Bible mandate
• MSNBC
• Google Scholar: Oklahoma education mandate
• News 9
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Oklahoma Department of Education
• KOCO
• Google News: Oklahoma public schools

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