A controversial effort by former Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters to promote religious content in public schools, including plans to fund Bibles and involve country singer Lee Greenwood, faced legal challenges and public opposition.

Following Walters' resignation, Oklahoma's new superintendent Lindel Fields rescinded the Bible-in-schools mandate, citing legal costs and shifting priorities, and many districts had already chosen not to comply.

The proposed policy, introduced in June 2024, faced lawsuits and public pushback over funding and separation of church and state, leading to legal action in the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Fields emphasized that decisions about including the Bible in classrooms should be made locally, and he has no plans to distribute Bibles or implement religious curricula, reflecting a move away from Walters' religious initiatives.

The Oklahoma Department of Education plans to notify the court of the rescission and review other controversial mandates from Walters' administration, including a proposed ideology exam for teachers from certain states.

The original Bible mandate faced immediate legal and civil rights opposition, with lawsuits filed by parents, teachers, and religious groups, and is now officially rescinded.

Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Lindel Fields after Walters' resignation, marking a shift away from the previous administration's controversial policies, with Fields focusing on departmental priorities.

Walters' tenure also included efforts to incorporate conspiracy theories about the 2020 election into social studies standards, which are currently on hold due to legal challenges.

Walters' broader agenda included fighting 'woke ideology,' banning certain books, and removing leftist influences from education, all of which faced significant controversy.

Fields has stated that religious content decisions should be local, and taxpayer money should not be used for Bibles, signaling a departure from Walters' push for religious materials in schools.

Donations intended to support Walters' Bible policy were halted by legal and financial challenges, preventing its implementation.

The decision to rescind the mandate reflects a shift away from Walters' efforts to integrate religious materials into public education, focusing instead on other priorities.

Walters also developed social studies standards with controversial content, including conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, which remain on hold pending legal review.