Oklahoma's State Superintendent declared that schools within the state will be given Bibles in the fall despite the fact that funding for the initiative was denied by Oklahoma's state legislature.
Superintendent Ryan Walters announced that the introduction of "Trump Bibles" in Oklahoma classrooms would occur in the fall while speaking at a news conference on Friday.
"The Legislature can put the money there or not," Walters said on May 16, as reported by Alternet. "We're going to have a Bible in every classroom this fall. So that's going to happen. So we're doing that. We've been very straightforward on how we're doing that."
What are referred to as "Trump Bibles," or "God Bless the USA" Bibles are copies signed by the 47th President. They can cost up to $1000, and Trump receives fees for purchases of these copies.
532 of these copies have already been purchased by an agency owned by Walters, costing them roughly $25,000.
Last month, Walters requested $3 million from the state legislature for the explicit purpose of buying these copies for schools within the state. However, the state's 2026 budget announced by Gov. Kevin Stitt does not include this sum despite giving additional funding to Walters' Oklahoma State Department of Education.
The Oklahoma ACLU filed a lawsuit against Walters for attempting to use taxpayer funds to buy these copies and place them within schools. The suit is currently pending in Oklahoma's Supreme Court. Walters' initiative has been halted by Oklahoma's highest civil court until the Supreme Court comes to a decision.
"Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools," said Megan Lambert, legal director of ACLU of Oklahoma. "... Oklahoma communities are religiously diverse, and we will not allow our religious freedom to be undermined."
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