State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters announced the creation of the Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism on Tuesday.
A press release from Walters said the new office within the state Department of Education is in line with a top education priority of President-elect Trump — Freedom to Pray — and will be charged with ensuring parents, teachers and students can practice their religion and display their patriotism freely. It will also oversee investigations when pushback inevitably comes over allowing the open practice of religion in public schools.
“The radical left never misses a chance to co-opt the teacher unions and their minions to indoctrinate our children against traditional values of faith and family,” Walters said.
He also said declining academic outcomes in Oklahoma’s public schools are directly linked to the dismantling of those values. He said guidance will be issued in the coming days to make sure the right to pray in schools is safeguarded.
Tuesday’s announcement of the Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism comes a few days after Walters asserted his support for the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education in favor of education block grants to states. The press release goes on to say Walters will be highlighting how the state department is planning to allocate resources to support and expedite Trump’s education agenda.
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