The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling the resignation of Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters a major win for the Constitution and for the state’s students.
FFRF has been demanding for two years that he step down — and was the first organization to do so. Walters spent his time as superintendent relentlessly undermining the separation of state and church. In March, he sued FFRF for sending letters to school districts objecting to unconstitutional religious activity — a lawsuit even a President Trump-appointed federal judge swiftly dismissed as meritless. The court found that Walters’ Department of Education had not been harmed in any way by FFRF’s advocacy, affirming that the First Amendment protects FFRF’s right to petition government officials and speak out against constitutional violations.
Walters’ resignation comes after years of extreme, unconstitutional actions. In 2024 alone, Walters:
- Issued a “compulsory” bible mandate to Oklahoma schools, claiming the bible and the Ten Commandments must be taught as “foundational” texts.
- Proposed spending $6 million in taxpayer money on Trump-endorsed “God Bless the U.S.A.” bibles, an action FFRF is challenging in court, and later purchased hundreds of copies for AP government classes.
- Created an “Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism” within the Department of Education to promote Christian nationalism and direct schools to show students a video in which Walters prays over Trump and urges students to join him.
- Pushed new social studies standards with more than 40 explicit references to the bible, designed to inject Christian teachings into public classrooms.
“Walters turned the Oklahoma Department of Education into a Christian nationalist propaganda machine, trying to force religion into classrooms at every turn,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president. “His resignation is good news for every Oklahoma student who deserves a public education free from religious coercion.”
FFRF has been part of multiple coalitions fighting Walters’ unconstitutional policies, including the state lawsuit challenging his bible mandate and directives to Oklahoma schools.
“Walters’ resignation is a welcome step, but much work remains to repair the damage he inflicted on Oklahoma’s public schools,” adds FFRF Legal Director Patrick Elliott. “Oklahoma families deserve lasting safeguards to ensure no future official in this position can exploit their office to impose their religion.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 42,000 members nationwide, including hundreds of members in Oklahoma. FFRF’s purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
