Teachers in Oklahoma schools teaching grades 5 through high school must incorporate lessons on the Bible into their instruction, the state’s Secretary of Education decreed on Thursday, putting up another challenge to the separation of church and state, the Associated Press reports.
“The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,” Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters said in a statement. “Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation which is why Oklahoma educational standards provide for its instruction.”