The Oklahoma school superintendent orders students to watch the announcement of a new religious department

EDMOND, OK. – Oklahoma’s education inspector has sent an email to public school superintendents, asking them to show his to his students video announcement of a new Ministry of Religious Freedom and Patriotism within the state Ministry of Education.

Ryan Walters, a Republican, announced the new office sent the email Wednesday and to school superintendents statewide Thursday.

“As one of the first steps of the newly created department, we are requiring all Oklahoma schools to play the attached video for all children enrolled,” the email said.

Districts were also instructed to send the video to all parents of students.

In the video, Walters says religious freedom has been attacked and patriotism has been mocked “by woke teachers unions,” then prays for the leaders of the United States after saying students don’t have to join in the prayer.

“Specifically, I pray for President Donald Trump and his team as they continue to effect change in the country,” Walters said.

In announcing the new department, Walters said it would “oversee the investigation of abuses of individual religious freedom or expressions of patriotism.”

Two of the state’s largest districts, Edmond in suburban Oklahoma City and Bixby in suburban Tulsa, said they have no plans to show students the video.

A spokesperson for the Tulsa district, the state’s largest district, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. A spokesman for the Oklahoma City district, the second largest, said district officials would meet to discuss the email.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office issued a statement Friday saying Walters does not have the authority under state law to issue such a mandate.

“Not only is this edict unenforceable, it violates parental rights, local control, and the individual right to free exercise,” the statement said.

Walters is already being confronted two lawsuits about his June mandate that schools include the Bible in lesson plans for students in grades 5 through 12. Various school districts have previously stated that they will ignore the mandate.

One of the lawsuits also notes that the original State Department request for proposal to purchase the Bibles appears to have been tailored to the Bibles that have now been approved by newly elected President Donald Trump which retail for $59.99 each.

The request for a proposal was changed later at the request of state procurement officials.

The Associated Press reported in October that Trump’s “God Bless the USA” Bible was printed in China, a country that Trump has repeatedly accused of stealing American jobs and engaging in unfair trade practices, at a price of less than $3 per Bible.

Walters announced earlier this week that he has purchased more than 500 Bibles for use in Advanced Placement government classes.

A statement from the education department said the 500 Bibles are “God Bless the USA Bibles.” They were ordered Thursday for about $25,000 and will arrive “in the coming weeks.”

Walters, a former public school teacher who was elected in 2022, continued running a platform for the fight against the ‘woke ideology’ banning books from school libraries and getting rid of “radical leftists” who he says are indoctrinating children in classrooms.