Oklahoma’s newly appointed public schools superintendent, Lindel Fields, announced on Wednesday the decision to rescind a policy implemented by his predecessor, which mandated the presence of Bibles in classrooms and the incorporation of scripture into lesson plans for students in grades 5–12. Fields clarified that he has “no plans to distribute Bibles or a Biblical character education curriculum,” highlighting that such decisions should be left to local school districts.
The previous superintendent, Ryan Walters, resigned last month after introducing this controversial policy in 2024. His mandate faced lawsuits and significant criticism from civil rights organizations, which argued that it infringed upon the separation of church and state. Fields was appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt to succeed Walters following his transition to the private sector.
An attorney for the state education department indicated that the agency would seek to dismiss the ongoing lawsuit now that the contested policy has been withdrawn. Additionally, Fields expressed intentions to review other directives established by Walters, including regulations concerning ideological screening for out-of-state teachers.
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