Four civil rights organizations said Thursday they are making a joint open records request to seek the source of $3 million in the Oklahoma State Department of Education budget that state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has said is available to purchase Bibles for classrooms statewide.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Freedom From Religion Foundation are asking Walters’ agency to provide all records of expenditures during the current fiscal year related to the provision of Bibles for Oklahoma public-school classrooms, including communications, contracts, invoices, receipts and payment records.
The request lands days after The Oklahoman reported that state Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore – the outgoing chair of the House Appropriations and Budget education subcommittee – wondered where the $3 million came from, given that “it was not in any appropriation or even mentioned in any budget request” submitted to the state Legislature.