The newly appointed leader of the Oklahoma State Department of Education has confirmed that a mandate requiring Bibles in public school classrooms has been dropped.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Lindel Fields, who assumed the role following the resignation of his predecessor Ryan Walters, announced on Wednesday that he is ending the policy.
In comments carried by NPR affiliate KOSU in Oklahoma City, Fields said he would not continue defending the mandate in court and added that he has “no plans to distribute Bibles or a biblical character education curriculum in classrooms.”
Fields also noted the budget implications of the decision. “If resources are left to be allocated, the timing is fortunate since the team and I are currently reviewing the budget,” stated Fields.
Walters—who stepped down late last month and now leads an anti-union advocacy organization called the Teacher Freedom Alliance—criticized the reversal in a post on X.
“I could not be more disappointed in the decision to move away from empowering our teachers in Oklahoma to use a foundational document like the Bible in the classroom,” Walters posted. “The war on Christianity is real.”
During his tenure as superintendent, Walters advanced multiple initiatives to elevate Christianity and the Bible in public education, including the push to stock Bibles in classrooms.
His approach drew a lawsuit from clergy, educators, and parents of public school students, who argued that the directive “interferes with the parents’ ability to direct the religious and moral upbringing of their children” and “violates the Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act.”
Reporting by The Oklahoman indicated that, by last November—after the suit had been filed—the state education department had already secured 500 Bibles for schools.
Financial backing for the initiative stalled this spring when the Oklahoma Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee rejected Walters’ $3 million funding request to purchase Bibles for public schools.
Walters responded by announcing a partnership with singer Lee Greenwood of “God Bless the USA” to solicit private donations to obtain the Bibles.
In March, however, the Oklahoma Supreme Court, at the request of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, issued a stay pausing Bible purchases while litigation proceeds.
