Current:Home > MyBibles that Oklahoma wants for schools match version backed by Trump-InfoLens
Bibles that Oklahoma wants for schools match version backed by Trump
View Date:2024-12-23 14:56:42
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s top education official is seeking to purchase 55,000 Bibles for public schools and specifying that each copy contain the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, which are not commonly found in Bibles but are included in one endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
The request is part of Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ ongoing efforts to require Bibles in every classroom, which has been met with resistance by some of Oklahoma’s largest school districts.
Walters is seeking to spend $3 million in state funds for Bibles that fit a certain criteria, including that the pages are supplemented with U.S. historical materials. The Bibles must also be “bound in leather or leather-like material for durability,” according to state bidding documents posted this week.
The nonprofit news outlet Oklahoma Watch first reported Thursday that the requirements match the “God Bless the USA Bible” that Trump urged his supporters to begin buying earlier this year at a website that sells the book for $59.99.
Asked Friday if the state’s bid was tailored for the Bible backed by Trump, a spokesman for Walters said the proposal was open to any vendor.
“There are hundreds of Bible publishers and we expect a robust competition for this proposal,” said Dan Isett, a spokesman for the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, a Democrat, said the bid “does not pass the smell test” and said a court could void it if the process was found to limit competition.
“All fingers point to the Trump Bible that does contain all these requirements,” Edmondson said.
Walters in June ordered public schools to incorporate the Bible into lessons for grades 5 through 12. The bidding documents also specify that the Bibles include both the Old Testament and New Testament, the Pledge of Allegiance and the Bill of Rights.
“We can see there are very few Bibles on the market that would meet these criteria, and all of them have been endorsed by former President Donald Trump,” said Colleen McCarty, executive director of Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
The name of the Bible backed by Trump is inspired by country singer Lee Greenwood’s patriotic ballad. Trump takes the stage to the song at each of his rallies and has appeared with Greenwood at events.
The Bible’s website states the product “is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign.” It says the site “uses Donald J. Trump’s name, likeness and image under paid license from CIC Ventures LLC.”
Trump reported earning $300,000 off sales of the Bible, according to financial disclosures released in August. His campaign did not immediately return an email seeking comment Friday evening.
Walters, himself a former public school teacher who was elected to his post in 2022, ran on a platform of fighting “woke ideology,” banning books from school libraries and getting rid of “radical leftists” who he claims are indoctrinating children in classrooms.
veryGood! (343)
Related
- Only 8 monkeys remain free after more than a week outside a South Carolina compound
- Watch Jordan Chiles' reaction when found out she won Olympic bronze medal in floor
- Olympic medals today: What is the medal count at 2024 Paris Games on Monday?
- Simone Biles slips off the balance beam during event finals to miss the Olympic medal stand
- Georgia State University is planning a $107M remake of downtown Atlanta
- Michigan toddler recovering after shooting himself at babysitter’s house, police say
- U.S. women cap off Paris Olympic swimming with world-record gold in medley relay
- Americans are ‘getting whacked’ by too many laws and regulations, Justice Gorsuch says in a new book
- Kristin Cavallari's Ex Mark Estes Jokingly Proposed to This Love Island USA Star
- The internet's latest craze? Meet 'duck mom.'
Ranking
- California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
- U.S. takes silver in first ever team skeet shooting event at Olympics
- US conquers murky Siene for silver in mixed triathlon relay: Don't care 'if I get sick'
- USA breaks world record, wins swimming Olympic gold in women's medley relay
- KFC sues Church's Chicken over 'original recipe' fried chicken branding
- Duchess Meghan hopes sharing struggle with suicidal thoughts will 'save someone'
- For Novak Djokovic, winning Olympic gold for Serbia supersedes all else
- USA women's basketball roster, schedule for Paris Olympics: Team goes for 8th-straight gold
Recommendation
-
Candidates line up for special elections to replace Virginia senators recently elected to US House
-
South Dakota Supreme Court reverses judge’s dismissal of lawsuit against abortion rights initiative
-
Liz Taylor speaks from beyond the grave in 'Lost Tapes' documentary
-
Michigan toddler recovering after shooting himself at babysitter’s house, police say
-
Sting Says Sean Diddy Combs Allegations Don't Taint His Song
-
Jimmer Fredette injury update: 3x3 star to miss 6 months after Olympic-ending injury
-
Who will US women's basketball team face in Olympics quarterfinals? Everything to know
-
Too late for flood insurance? How to get ready for a looming tropical storm