Oklahoma City – American Atheists offers its condolences to Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters, whose desperate bid for Education Secretary was foiled by a disgraced wrestling tycoon with one year’s experience in public school leadership. We also express our deepest sympathies to the people of Oklahoma, who must continue to endure the State Superintendent.
We further suggest Mr. Walters retain any receipts related to his department’s recent expenditure of $25,000 on the president-elect’s bibles, as he will surely join the majority of Oklahomans in desiring a refund. Documentation will also be necessary in order to respond in a timely manner to the FOIA requests American Atheists has issued on behalf of our many members who live, work, and study in Oklahoma.
These fine people should not, as Mr. Walters suggests, “move to California.” Rather, we wonder whether the State Superintendent may feel more comfortable in a nation where the founding document does not begin by prohibiting the establishment of any religion.
After all, Mr. Walters has repeatedly demonstrated a total disregard for American constitutional law. We are, for example, concerned by his creation of an “Office on Religious Liberty and Patriotism” primarily because it is unclear whether he can define either term.
It seems, for instance, the State Superintendent is unaware the First Amendment guarantees religious freedom for all Oklahomans, no matter their religion. And he has proven to have an equally deficient understanding of his state’s own constitution. What Mr. Walters has called “state-sponsored atheism” in public schools is, in fact, nonsectarianism, which is required by law in order to safeguard the rights of all students and families.
As one of the nation’s oldest and largest atheist organizations, American Atheists is happy to answer any of the State Superintendent’s questions regarding atheism or atheists, who, he may be interested to learn, face far more discrimination and stigma in the United States than Protestant Christians, as Mr. Walters himself has unkindly and often demonstrated. We look forward to working with his Office on Religious Liberty and Patriotism to address that.
In the meantime, American Atheists encourages Oklahomans of all faiths and none to contact their local school administrators, who do have the authority to determine which instructional materials are used in their classrooms. These leaders have a great responsibility to protect the wellbeing and rights of their students, and we urge them to do so.
Download Template Letters
American Atheists has prepared to sample letters that parents, activists, and other community members can send to the decision-makers in their local school districts. For districts that have not yet publicly announced what actions they will take in response to State Superintendent Walters’ unconstitutional mandate, we encourage you to send the request letter.
If your local school district has already announced that they will not comply with Walters’ demands, we encourage you to send the thank you letter.
These are sample letters and can be modified and personalized using Microsoft Word or your word processing tool of choice.
