Oklahoma Supreme Court freezes Bible-buying plan for public schools

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Monday the state government must stop requesting bids for a plan to purchase Bibles for public schools.

An Oklahoma City pastor, Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice and several others sued State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the state’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which helps state agencies with things like the bidding process, HR and other administrative needs, because the groups believe the plan is unconstitutional.

The state put the request for proposal, or RFP, out earlier this year as part of Walters' plan to purchase 55,000 bibles for use in 5th through 12th grade classrooms.

Monday’s ruling comes less than a week after Walters announced a partnership with musician Lee Greenwood to raise money to pay for the Bibles.

We reached out to Walters for a statement, here’s what the Superintendent told us:

"The Bible has been a cornerstone of our nation’s history and education for generations.  

We will continue fighting to ensure students have access to this foundational text in the classroom."

Here’s what the groups who filed the lawsuit had to say about Monday’s stay:

"This victory is an important step toward protecting the religious freedom of every student and parent in Oklahoma. Superintendent Ryan Walters has been abusing his power and the court checked those abuses today. Our diverse coalition of families and clergy remains united against Walters’s extremism and in favor of a core First Amendment principle: the separation of church and state."

Previous Stories:

1. State Board Of Education Mandates Bible In Curriculum; Lawmakers Criticize Decision
2. Oklahoma's Own In Focus: Reaction, Analysis Of Bible Requirement In Oklahoma Public Schools
3. Oklahomans React To Proposed Classroom Bible Budget
4. State Lawmakers Question Bidding Process For Oklahoma Classroom Bibles
5. Parents, Teachers, Clergy Suing To Halt Bible Mandate In Oklahoma Classrooms
6. Final Day For Bids On Bibles In Oklahoma Classrooms Arrives Amid Lawsuit And Controversy
7. Bibles being distributed to AP United States history courses, OSDE says
8. Lee Greenwood launches campaign to donate Bibles for Oklahoma classroom use