Bible will be required for teaching in classrooms from grades five through 12
Decision comes after Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked establishment of religious charter school
Oklahoma state superintendent Ryan Walters directs public schools to teach Bible as part of curriculum
In a controversial move, Oklahoma's state superintendent, Ryan Walters, has directed all public schools in the state to teach the Bible as part of their curricula. This decision comes after the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked the establishment of a religious charter school in August. The Bible will be required for teaching in classrooms from grades five through 12.
Walters, a former history teacher and conservative politics figure in Oklahoma, described the Bible as an
Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible and the Ten Commandments in their curriculums, effective immediately.
Every classroom from grades 5 through 12 in Oklahoma must have a Bible and teachers must teach from it.
This comes after the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked the establishment of a publicly funded religious charter school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School.
Accuracy
Every classroom in Oklahoma will have a Bible and teachers will be teaching from it.
The decision was met with criticism from Interfaith Alliance, a national organization that seeks to protect religious freedoms, calling it ‘blatant religious coercion’ with no place in public schools.
Deception
(5%)
The author makes editorializing statements by expressing his opinion that the Bible is a necessary historical document and that students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of their country without it. He also uses emotional manipulation by implying that those who disagree with him are rejecting 'core values' and 'dangerous, intimidating efforts to force a Christian nationalist agenda into our schools'. The article selectively reports details by only mentioning the positive aspects of the new policy and ignoring potential negative consequences or opposing viewpoints.
It's crystal clear to us that in the Oklahoma academic standards under Title 70 on multiple occasions, the Bible is a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our legal system.
This is blatant religious coercion that should have absolutely no place in public schools – in Oklahoma or any other state.
What the court did was rule against the parents of Oklahoma who have demanded more choices for their kids.
Oklahoma's state superintendent, Ryan Walters, ordered public schools to teach the Bible in classrooms.
Every classroom in Oklahoma will have a Bible and teachers will be teaching from it.
Walters believes the Bible is necessary for understanding Western civilization and the basis of US legal system.
Trump hailed Walters for his comments on Fox News and expressed support for the move.
Accuracy
Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible and the Ten Commandments in their curriculums, effective immediately.
Deception
(20%)
The author, AFP - Agence France Presse, is reporting facts in this article. However, the title and body contain emotional manipulation and sensationalism. The title is misleading as it implies that the Bible will be taught as a religious text instead of a historical document. The author does not explicitly state that the Bible will be taught for religious purposes but rather for understanding Western civilization and the basis of US legal system. Additionally, there is selective reporting as only the statements in favor of teaching the Bible are reported without mentioning any opposing views or potential negative consequences.
Every teacher, every classroom in the state, will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible
We've got to bring God back in school and not allow the radical left to turn our schools into atheist centers that only speak about our country without any kind of influence by their faith
Fallacies
(80%)
The author makes an appeal to authority by quoting Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma state superintendent, stating that the Bible is a necessary historical document and that they will be teaching from it in classrooms. This statement is not inherently fallacious but becomes problematic when considering the separation of church and state principle enshrined in the US Constitution. The author also quotes Walters expressing his desire to bring God back into schools, which can be seen as an inflammatory rhetoric that may evoke strong emotions and potentially divide people.
Every teacher, every classroom in the state, will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible.
We've got to bring God back in school and not allow the radical left to turn our schools into atheist centers that only speak about our country without any kind of influence by their faith.
Bias
(80%)
The author expresses a clear ideological bias by quoting the state superintendent's statements that advocate for teaching the Bible in public schools and bringing 'God back in school'. The author also mentions that this move is likely to be met with opposition due to the separation of church and state principle, but does not provide any counterarguments or perspectives from those opposed. The author also quotes Trump's positive response to Walters' statements.
Every teacher, every classroom in the state, will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible.
Great job by Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters on Fox News last night. Strong, decisive, and knows his ‘stuff.’ I LOVE OKLAHOMA!
We’ve got to bring God back in school and not allow the radical left to turn our schools into atheist centers that only speak about our country without any kind of influence by their faith.
Oklahoma's superintendent of public instruction, Ryan Walters, is requiring every teacher in the state to have a Bible in their classroom and use it for lessons.
Walters plans to take his new rule to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Accuracy
Every classroom in Oklahoma will have a Bible and teachers will be teaching from it.
Schools are instructed to refer to the Bible and the Ten Commandments for historical understanding.
Deception
(30%)
The author makes editorializing statements and uses emotional manipulation by implying that those who disagree with the superintendent's decision are 'rewriting history' and 'not great at citing historical precedent'. The author also engages in selective reporting by only mentioning the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that denied public funds to a religious charter school, without providing any context or mention of the establishment clause. Lastly, the author implies that Louisiana has already been sued over its law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools, but does not provide any evidence or details about this lawsuit.
The left is upset, but one cannot rewrite history.
He even cited the state Supreme Court case in Thursday’s meeting, promising to take his new rule to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Fallacies
(80%)
The author makes an appeal to history and constitutional precedent in his argument, but fails to provide any concrete evidence or citations. He also uses inflammatory language when referring to the left and their reaction to the new rule.
> The Bible is a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our legal system.<br>It is one of the most foundational documents used for the Constitution.<br>Every teacher, every classroom in the state, will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom.
<br>The move comes two days after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that a religious charter school couldn’t receive public funds, otherwise it would violate the establishment clause, which prohibits the government from establishing or favoring a particular religion over others.<br>Walters tried to intervene in the case but was denied three times.
<br>He even cited the state Supreme Court case in Thursday’s meeting, promising to take his new rule to the U.S. Supreme Court.
<br>Louisiana has already been sued over its law, with the case likely headed to the nation’s highest court.<br>The law’s backers have tried to defend the measure, only to fail miserably.
Bias
(80%)
The author expresses a clear bias against the actions of Superintendent Ryan Walters by implying that he is ignorant and denying historical facts. The author also uses derogatory language to describe Walters' attempts to defend his rule.
“It seems that the ruling, as well as a new Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, has inspired Walters to make a move of his own.”
“The author expresses a clear bias against Superintendent Ryan Walters by implying that he is ignorant and denying historical facts.”
“The author uses derogatory language to describe Walters' attempts to defend his rule.”
“The move comes two days after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that a religious charter school couldn’t receive public funds, otherwise it would violate the establishment clause,”
“Walters even cited the state Supreme Court case in Thursday’s meeting, promising to take his new rule to the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Oklahoma schools are required to teach the Bible as part of the curricula in grades five through 12.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters announced this policy on Thursday.
Schools are instructed to refer to the Bible and the Ten Commandments for historical understanding.
Accuracy
Every classroom from grades 5 through 12 in Oklahoma must have a Bible and teachers must teach from it.
The Bible is necessary for understanding Western civilization and the basis of US legal system.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting and editorializing. The author quotes the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters, stating that schools are required to incorporate the Bible as part of their curricula in grades five through twelve and refer to it for 'historical understanding'. However, the author does not provide any context or counterarguments from those who may disagree with this policy. The article also includes emotional manipulation by quoting Rachel Laser, CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, stating that Walters' new Bible policy is 'trampling the religious freedom of public school children and their families'. The author does not provide any evidence or counterarguments to support this claim. Furthermore, the article includes sensationalism by stating that Walters has built a national profile as a 'staunch proponent of incorporating Christian beliefs and teachings into state education policy' and that he has drawn pushback. The article also implies facts without linking to peer-reviewed studies or retracted studies in the field of education or religion.
Walters publicly vilified an Oklahoma principal with a side gig as a drag performer, who ultimately resigned.
Effective immediately, Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible as part of the curricula in grades five through twelve, according to a memo Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters sent to all school districts.
But Walters has also drawn pushback.
Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, recently approved a package of regulations put forward by Walters that included time for prayer in schools and expanded the state Education Department’s ‘foundational values’ to acknowledge a ‘Creator’ and the existence of good and evil.
Fallacies
(75%)
The author makes an appeal to authority by quoting Ryan Walters multiple times and reporting on his actions without questioning their validity. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing Walters' policies as 'textbook Christian Nationalism' and 'trampling the religious freedom of public school children and their families'.
> Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible as part of the curricula in grades five through 12, according to a memo Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters sent to all school districts.
> Americans United for Separation of Church and State said in a statement that Walters’ new Bible policy is ‘trampling the religious freedom of public school children and their families.’
> But Walters has also drawn pushback. Stitt issued an executive order this month prohibiting state agencies from entering into sole-source contracts with marketing and public relations firms after Walters hired a public relations firm at $200 per hour to help him get national media attention.
Bias
(0%)
The author of the article does not make any biased assertions in the provided text. However, they do quote Rachel Laser from Americans United for Separation of Church and State making a biased assertion that Walters' new Bible policy is 'textbook Christian Nationalism'. Therefore, I cannot give a score of 100 as there is some bias present. The score reflects the percentage of bias in relation to the total content of the article.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a nonprofit civil liberties group, said in a statement that Walters’ new Bible policy is ‘textbook Christian Nationalism.’
Oklahoma's state superintendent, Ryan Walters, has directed all public schools to teach the Bible in an extraordinary move.
Ryan Walters is a former history teacher and has emerged as a conservative politics figure in Oklahoma and an unapologetic culture warrior in education.
Accuracy
Every classroom from grades 5 through 12 in Oklahoma must have a Bible and teachers must teach from it.
The Bible is described as a ‘necessary historical document’ and ‘indispensable historical and cultural touchstone’ by Ryan Walters.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(75%)
The author presents a factual account of the situation without committing any formal logical fallacies. However, there is an appeal to authority and inflammatory rhetoric present in the article.
. . .the Bible as an “indispensable historical and cultural touchstone”
Oklahoma had also sought to be the first state to authorize a religious charter school
conservative politics in Oklahoma and an unapologetic culture warrior in education
battled over the teaching of race and gender identity, fought against “woke ideology” in public schools and at times targeted school districts and individual teachers.
