By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-16 08:26:38 | Updated at 2024-11-16 10:50:29
2 hours ago
An education official has demanded schools screen a preachy video of him praying for Donald Trump and slamming 'woke' teachers.
Oklahoma's education superintendent Ryan Walters emailed school districts telling them they would be required to play the video for students and parents.
Walters, who is being sued for demanding schools insert the Bible into lesson plans, blamed the 'radical left' and 'woke teacher unions' for 'attacking religious liberty' in the video.
His email blast also invited the students to join him in prayers for Trump and the country.
Schools in the district, however, pushed back and argued that Walters had no authority to require them to 'disrupt the school day'.
Walters justified his demand by claiming 'student's rights and freedoms regarding religious liberties are continuously under assault'.
He vowed that his newly-created 'Department of Religious Liberty and Patriotism' would 'thwart any attempts to disrupt our Oklahoma student's fundamental freedoms'.
He wrote that one of the department's first steps was requiring all schools in Oklahoma 'to play the attached video to all kids that are enrolled'.
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters sent out an email blast to local schools requiring them to play students and parents a video of him praying coupled with politically charged messages
'We want our students to be patriotic. We want our students to love this country, and we want all student's religious liberty to be protected,' said Walters
Walters also wrote that schools would be required to send the video to parents as well, and encouraged, but did not require, students to pray with him.
He linked to a YouTube video posted by the Oklahoma State Department of Education titled 'Supt. Walters Announcement Regarding the Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism'.
The video is of Walters at a desk where he introduced the new department, and blamed 'far-left' liberalism for the lack of patriotism in schools.
'We have also seen patriotism mocked and a hatred for this country pushed by woke teachers unions. We will not tolerate that in any school in Oklahoma,' he said.
'We want our students to be patriotic. We want our students to love this country, and we want all student's religious liberty to be protected.'
Walters then announced he would be praying, and advised students they didn't have to join but could if they wished.
'This isn't me pushing one religion onto a child or a family. This is saying whatever your religion, whatever your faith is, or if you don't have it, that is completely up to you. We are going to protect your ability to exercise that,' he said.
He bowed his head and prayed for Trump and his team 'as they continue to bring about change to the country'.
He also prayed for the parents, teachers and children's education and 'high-quality lives'.
'I also pray that we continue to teach love of country to our young people, and that our students understand what makes America great, and that they continue to love this country. Amen,' he concluded.
Public schools across the state, however, were not readily willing to implement his demands.
Mustang Public School officials said, in a letter to parents, they 'have no plans to interrupt the school day to show or send the video and will instead use that time for curriculum', according to KOCO.
Yukon Public Schools officials also refused to screen the video, and said they wanted to focus on curriculum approved by state legislators.
Norman school officials said they 'keep an inclusive environment that neither promotes nor threatens religious beliefs' and would continue to offer students a daily moment of silence.
Edmond Public School officials also said they wouldn't be showing the video, while Oklahoma City Public Schools officials said district leaders are meeting Friday to discuss their course of action, KOCO reported.
Walters told the outlet that he was aware of 'rogue superintendents', who he claimed like to 'push a left-wing agenda onto their kids'.
'[They] like to continue to push state-sponsored atheism in our classrooms by pushing out any kind of mention of God, but we aren't going to tolerate it,' he said.
