Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Department of Education are entangled in two high-profile lawsuits concerning religious practices in schools and government transparency.
On Monday (March 31), OSDE filed a federal lawsuit against the Freedom From Religion Foundation, accusing the nonprofit of interfering with students’ religious freedoms. The legal action stems from an FFRF letter urging Achille Public Schools to stop broadcasting student-led prayers during morning announcements. Walters condemned FFRF as an “out-of-state atheist group” attempting to “erase faith from public life.” The nonprofit, which promotes the separation of church and state, dismissed the lawsuit as meritless and vowed to continue advocating for First Amendment protections.
RELATED: Check out story: Oklahoma superintendent issues ‘crucial step’ on Bible, Ten Commandments in schools.
Transparency
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice has sued Walters, OSDE, and social media influencer Chaya Raichik, alleging violations of the state’s Open Records and Open Meeting Acts. The lawsuit challenges the formation of the Library Media Advisory Council, which reviews school library content. Appleseed claims OSDE unlawfully withheld public records related to Raichik’s appointment to the advisory board.
See related stories below:
Oklahoma Education Dept. sues atheist group trying to halt prayer in schools -Christian Post
Walters announces lawsuit against Freedom From Religion Foundation over school prayer – KOSU
Ryan Walters, OSDE sue nonprofit that sent cease-and-desist letter over prayer in schools – KOCO News 5
Lawsuit claims Oklahoma education officials violated open records and meetings laws -KOKH 25
NOTE: The links above are a sampling of headlines related to story and are not an endorsement of all viewpoints or reporting.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This report was compiled by The Baptist Paper.
