**Parents and Educators File Lawsuit in Oklahoma Supreme Court to Block Bible Mandate in Schools**

A group of parents, educators, and religious leaders in Oklahoma have taken legal action against the state’s leading education official over a new Bible mandate in public schools. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday with the Oklahoma Supreme Court, aims to stop Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters from implementing a directive that requires schools to integrate the Bible into lesson plans for students in grades 5 through 12.

The legal challenge also seeks to prevent Walters from spending $3 million on the purchase of Bibles to support this mandate. According to the plaintiffs, including parents of school-aged children, the directive violates the Oklahoma Constitution by allocating public funds for religious purposes and favoring one religion over others by mandating the use of a Protestant version of the Bible.

Erika Wright, the founder of the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition and a parent involved in the lawsuit, emphasized that religious education is a personal matter. "As parents, my husband and I have sole responsibility to decide how and when our children learn about the Bible and religious teachings," Wright stated. "It is not the role of any politician or public school official to intervene in these personal matters."

The plaintiffs are receiving legal support from various civil rights organizations, including the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.

An additional concern raised in the lawsuit is that the initial "request for proposal" (RFP) issued by the State Department of Education for purchasing the Bibles seemed to align strategically with Bibles endorsed by former President Donald Trump, priced at $59.99 each. Although the RFP was later revised upon the request of state purchasing officials, the issue remains contentious.

This lawsuit is not the first challenge to Walters' mandate. Another suit, filed in June by a resident of Locust Grove, is currently under consideration in Mayes County.