(NewsNation) — Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters emailed school districts Thursday, demanding they show students a video of him promoting Christianity in schools and leading a prayer for President-elect Donald Trump.
The email, obtained by Oklahoma NPR collaborator StateImpact, included a link to a video of Walters blaming “woke teachers’ unions” for pushing “a hatred for this country.”
He also invited students to join him in prayer, nothing that they didn’t have to participate.
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“I pray for our leaders to make the right decisions,” Walters said, according to StateImpact. “I pray in particular for President Donald Trump and his team as they continue to bring about change to the country.”
Walters went on tout his new Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism. He created the office “in line with one of President Trump’s top education priorities, ‘Freedom to Pray,’” Walters said in a news release.
The Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism will oversee “the investigation of abuses to individual religious freedom or displays of patriotism,” according to the release. It’s unclear what specific actions that might entail.
Walters also announced Thursday the purchase of more than 500 Bibles for use in advanced placement government classes. It’s unclear what funds he used to purchase the Bibles.
