Oklahoma’s Bixby school district has lots to show off for a fast-growing Tulsa suburb: a state-of-the-art new high school set to open by 2025, a new ninth grade gymnasium and plans for a $12 million upgrade to a football complex that already rivals that of many small colleges.

But, what the district does not have as students returned this week is a Bible in every classroom — despite a statewide mandate from Oklahoma’s education chief to incorporate Bible lessons and promises of repercussions for those that don’t comply. Other large school districts have also publicly indicated they aren’t making changes either.

The resistance follows a summer order that propelled Oklahoma to the center of a growing push by conservatives to give religion a bigger role in public schools across the U.S. Still, the fight may be far from over while other states, including neighboring Texas, are seeing Republicans advance similar efforts to incorporate the Bible into classrooms.

“If there is no curricular standard that ties with that particular classroom, what would be the purpose of a Bible if not for pure indoctrination?” said Bixby Superintendent Rob Miller, a former Marine Corps artilleryman whose office walls are adorned with medals from some of the 18 marathons he’s run and a sign that reads: “Positive Vibes Only.”

Miller said it’s not uncommon to see students carrying a Bible or praying during a moment of silence at the start of each school day. Two copies of the Bible are available for checkout in the high school library’s reference section, along with a book titled “The History of the Bible” that includes maps and other historical details about the holy lands featured in scripture.

But he said a Bible simply doesn’t make sense for a seventh grade math classroom or a high school chemistry class.

“As a Christian myself, I am a little offended by diminishing the word of God to a mere classroom prop,” he said.

It is unclear how many, if any, Oklahoma school districts are resuming schools this month with a Bible in every classroom. A spokesperson for the state education department, Dan Isett, said the mandate is not optional and that the superintendent has “a wide range of tools to deal with rogue districts” that do not comply.

Under the mandate, Oklahoma schools must incorporate the Bible into lesson plans for all public school students in grades five through 12 in Oklahoma.

School districts also have been offered guidance from law firms that represent them and the state’s largest teachers union, the Oklahoma Education Association, that the superintendent doesn’t have the unilateral authority to issue such a requirement and that the edict is unenforceable.

The decision by many Oklahoma school districts to disregard state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ directive didn’t sit well with the first-term Republican, who chastised those districts at the start of a recent board meeting.

“These are the districts that want pornography in front of kids under the name of inclusivity, but don’t want the historical context of the Bible,” Walters said, referring to a failed effort by his education department to force a local district to remove the books “The Kite Runner” and “The Glass Castle” from library shelves because of sexual content.

“It’s outrageous. We will not allow it. Just because they don’t like it, just because they’re offended by it, just because they don’t want to do it doesn’t mean that they won’t do it. They will be held accountable.”

The directive from Walters is the latest salvo in an effort by conservative-led states to target public schools: Louisiana has required them to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms, while others are under pressure to teach the Bible and ban books and lessons about race, sexual orientation and gender identity. Earlier this summer the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked an attempt by the state to have the first publicly funded religious charter school in the country.

Walters, himself a former public school teacher who was elected to his post in 2022, ran on a platform of fighting “woke ideology,” banning books from school libraries and getting rid of “radical leftists” who he claims are indoctrinating children in classrooms.

Among his Republican colleagues in the Legislature, patience with Walters appears to be wearing thin. State Rep. Mark McBride, a Republican from Moore who chairs the subcommittee that funds public schools, earlier this month sought an investigation into Walters over what McBride says are failures by the department to comply with legislative directives on funding and provide requested documents on expenditures. More than two dozen GOP House members signed on to McBride’s request, prompting Speaker of the House Charles McCall to request an independent investigation of the education department.

For his part, Walters dismissed the inquiry as a “political attack” from House leaders and hinted toward the 2026 governor’s election, where both McCall and Walters have been mentioned as possible candidates for the seat being vacated by term-limited Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Grant Sullivan, who owns Scott’s Hamburgers in downtown Bixby and delivers a sermon every Sunday at a small church in the nearby town of Morris, said he questions whether the Bible mandate is a good idea.

“Have we thought this through?” asked Sullivan, who has a master’s degree in theology from Oklahoma Christian University and two children in Bixby schools. “What if you happen to have an atheistic teacher? Are they going to teach it in a way that may be more problematic than helpful?

“It just feels like that’s for the home and the church is how I feel about that.”

Oklahoma City Thunder fans don’t have to start looking for a new TV package to watch the NBA this season — yet.

Diamond Sports Group, owners of Bally Sports Oklahoma, will continue to carry local game broadcasts for 20 NBA and NHL teams, including the Thunder, in the 2024-25 season.

Diamond reached agreements with the NBA and NHL that were disclosed Friday in filings with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

“We are appreciative of the ongoing collaboration and long-term partnerships with the NBA and NHL,” Diamond Sports CEO David Preschlack said in a statement. “Having completed negotiations with key partners that provide certainty around our content and distribution, Diamond is well positioned for the future. With the support of our creditors, we are focused on finalizing our reorganization plan to support our emergence and presenting that plan to the court in due course.”

More: Four things we’ve learned about OKC Thunder in 2024 NBA offseason

The subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group had been operating the Bally-branded regional sports networks that carried NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball games in many markets around the country. Diamond filed for Chapter 1 bankruptcy in March 2023 and were ordered that spring to pay four MLB teams 50% of unpaid media rights fees that were owed to them.

The behind-the-scenes business troubles at Diamond led to uncertainty about where teams would be able to broadcast their games when not on national television.

In the NBA, Diamond will continue to carry local broadcasts for the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

In the NHL, the group will keep broadcasting the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Diamond will no longer go forward with the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, the latter of whom recently reached a deal with New Orleans’ local Fox affiliate to air games. The Mavericks were long considered likely to part with Bally, and Dallas’ NHL team, the Stars, previously split from Diamond in favor of starting their own streaming platform.

Diamond’s next bankruptcy hearing is scheduled for Sept. 3.

Good news for those whose Saturdays in the fall depend on the Cowboys’ performance: it doesn’t seem like 2024 will start like 2023 did.

This time last year, we needed the media guide handy to know who was who on the field for Oklahoma State. On offense, there was a three-quarterback rotation going on to decide who should be QB1. That got the headlines, but even future Doak Walker winner Ollie Gordon wasn’t OSU’s top running back until Week 4 of the season. Then on defense, Bryan Nardo was trying to implement an entirely new scheme as players shuffled in and out. It was madness.

But, in 2024, those growing pains have meant, well, growth for the Cowboys. OSU coach Mike Gundy said at his first media luncheon of the season Thursday that there’s not a position battle, at least not for the No. 1 spot, shaking out right now for the Pokes. On OSU’s first two-deep depth chart of the season, the only “or” listed at the top of positions were on the defensive line, one in the secondary, and at punter and kickoff specialist. There is, at least according to the depth chart and Gundy, no position up for grabs on offense entering the 2024 season.

“Not really, because we play so many skilled skill guys at once,” Gundy said. “Then we have more linemen than we have had in the past. And then defensively, we roll guys in. So we really don’t have position battles going on.”

It wasn’t until Week 4 against Iowa State — OSU’s Big 12 opener — that things seemed to be organized last season for the Cowboys, even during the loss. That’s when Alan Bowman essentially took over as QB1, becoming the first quarterback in 2023 to start and finish a game. Gordon got double-digit carries for the first time all season, rushing for 121 yards on 18 carries. And, even defensively, the Cowboys held Iowa State to 14 points in the second half.

After that Week 4 loss, the Cowboys went on a five-game winning streak and finished the season 10-4 with a Big 12 championship game appearance after starting the season 2-2. A year later, Gundy says the Pokes are already to that point heading into Week 1 against South Dakota State.

“Well, we didn’t get to this point last year until close to the fourth game,” Gundy said. “We just had so many unknowns and position battles going on with so many players that came in. As you know, last year we had 30 new players. This year, that number has been cut considerably because we had so many players that were able to and wanted to come back. A little different this year.

“From that standpoint, next year, we’ll probably be back in the other boat. The free agency market in December based on all the veteran players we have leaving could put us in a position where we’re bringing in 30 new players that could potentially play in the first game next year. But as of now, we’re much further ahead from a practice standpoint and understanding than we were this time last year.”