Over the last couple of years, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters has cultivated a reputation as a right-wing Christian nationalist — even some Republicans have expressed discomfort with his radicalism — prompting discussion among Democratic legislators about possible impeachment proceedings.
Walters has generally responded to criticisms with right-wing and legally dubious tactics, as evidenced by his declaration last month that Oklahoma educators keep Christian Bibles in every classroom and incorporate his preferred holy text into public school curricula.
Walters soon after said that public school teachers who resist his demands for Bible lessons could lose their teaching licenses.
That was a striking offensive in the larger culture war, but it was not the last skirmish. The Daily Beast reported this week on the latest antics from Oklahoma’s top education official.
At face value, it might not seem especially notable that a state is reviewing its social studies curriculum. Plenty of states do this as a matter of course.
But what makes Walters’ move in Oklahoma so notable is his choice of partners: The Oklahoma superintendent of public instruction isn’t turning to scholars, academics, historians, and qualified educators; he’s turning to likeminded ideologues. His committee includes:
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Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, a far-right think tank responsible for the radical Project 2025 agenda;
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Prager U’s Dennis Prager, who has openly admitted that he hopes to “indoctrinate” American children with a right-wing worldview;
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Steve Deace, a far-right media personality;
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and David Barton, a far-right activist often described as a “pseudo-historian.”
In a statement to The Washington Examiner, Walters said, “Our goal is to give Oklahoma students an education that focuses on history, not indoctrination.”
If the Oklahoma Republican expects people to take such an assertion seriously, he’s likely to be disappointed.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
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