Breaking! AU sues to stop Oklahoma’s public school Bible Mandate

We must stop Ryan Walters’ Christian Nationalist assault on public education in Oklahoma. The following advertisement from Americans United for Separation of Church and State has been sent to you via Mother Jones' email list. Mother Jones is a nonprofit, and most of our budget comes from readers like you, but revenue from advertisers helps us produce more of the hard-hitting journalism you expect. We never disclose your information to an advertiser. Mother Jones does not endorse any candidate, political organization, commercial product, or service, and the views expressed in this email do not constitute any endorsement or recommendation by Mother Jones. Mother Jones Reader, This past Thursday, Americans United and our allies filed a lawsuit in the Oklahoma Supreme Court to block a mandate requiring all Oklahoma public schools to place the state’s officially approved version of the Bible in every classroom and incorporate that Bible into their curriculum for fifth—through twelfth-graders. Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters issued this mandate on July 27. Then, on September 30, Walters fast-tracked plans to spend millions of taxpayer money on an expensive, Christian Nationalist version of the Bible that includes the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Pledge of Allegiance, and Bill of Rights. We won’t allow Ryan Walters to abuse the power of his office to advance his Christian Nationalist agenda or impose his personal religious beliefs on Oklahoma schoolchildren, families, and taxpayers. Religious freedom means families and students — not politicians — should decide if, when, and how to engage with religion. [We're fighting back.]( Americans United was made for moments like this. Backed by our allies at the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Oklahoma, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, we filed this lawsuit on behalf of Oklahoman teachers, parents, students, faith leaders and taxpayers. Our plaintiffs include Christians from several denominations; atheists, agnostics, and nonreligious folks; people of Native American heritage; and families who have LGBTQ+ members or children with special educational needs. Our lawsuit explains that this mandate is blatantly unconstitutional. Forcing Bibles into the classroom and spending taxpayer money on Bibles not only violates the religious freedom of everyone but also sends a chilling message to students and families who do not subscribe to the state’s preferred version of the Bible that they do not belong equally in our public schools. This is a critically important lawsuit, and we have our work cut out for us. But because of your support and the support of tens of thousands of people like you, we are proud to take this on. Thank you for supporting us in this crucial fight for our fundamental rights. With hope and determination, Rachel K. Laser President and CEO [DONATE]( P.S. If your public school is imposing religion on students, or if you have learned of conduct that you think may violate church-state separation, please visit au.org and [report a violation to our legal team](. Americans United for Separation of Church and State 1310 L Street NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 [Mother Jones]( Mother Jones and its nonprofit publisher, The Center for Investigative Reporting, do not endorse any political candidate, political organization, commercial product, process, or service, and the views expressed in this communication do not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Mother Jones. This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755