Southwest
Oklahoma schools now required to teach Bible, Ten Commandments: superintendent
All public schools in Oklahoma are now required to incorporate the Bible and Ten Commandments into their curricula for grades 5-10, primarily for historical context.
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters issued a memo Thursday informing superintendents across the state their districts are required to incorporate the Bible into lessons.
Walters said in the memo that his directive aligns with educational standards approved in May 2019.
The superintendent told Fox News Digital there is a lack of understanding about the country’s history and the influence the Bible has had since the birth of the U.S., which he blames on the radical left.
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Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters announced Thursday that all schools across the state will be required to teach from the Bible for grades 5-12, beginning immediately. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
“We’ve seen the radical leftists drive God out of schools, drive the Bible out of schools, and we have to make sure that our kids have an understanding of what made America great,” said Walters.
“Not teaching our kids about the faith of our founders and the influence that the Bible had in our history is just academic malpractice.”
He explained that, under his directive, instructors in every classroom across the state would have a copy of the Bible to teach from.
The teachers, Walters said, will teach the Bible from a historical context, particularly in terms of its role in American history and the influence it had on the country’s founders.
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Public school teachers in Oklahoma will be required to teach from the Bible to help understand the historical context of the country’s beginnings. (iStock)
For example, when students learn about topics such as the Mayflower Compact, which predates the U.S., they will look at quotes from pilgrims referencing the Bible.
Leaders during the Civil Rights Movement also made references to the Bible.
Walters said when Martin Luther King Jr. was in a Birmingham jail, he wrote a letter referencing Bible stories.
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A police mugshot of Martin Luther King Jr. after his arrest for protests in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963, where he wrote a letter referencing Bible stories. (Gado/Getty Images)
“So, it is essential for a historical understanding of our country’s history that the Bible is included in the curriculum, and we will be requiring it,” Walters said.
Although Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law last week requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom by 2025, Walters says Oklahoma is the first to require the Bible be used in all classrooms, effective immediately.
“We’re the first ones, and we’re very proud of that,” he said. “We believe in American values. We believe that the better our students understand American history and American exceptionalism, the better off our state will be and the country will be. So, we are very proud to teach that to our students.”
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High school students in Oklahoma will be taught history lessons about the Bible. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
For those who are not religious, Walters wanted to be clear that lessons that include the Bible are strictly for historical context.
He said it is undeniable that the Bible is a historical document.
“The left can be offended, that’s fine,” Walters said. “They can be offended all they want, but what they can’t do is rewrite history. That is our history. That is the history of this country.”
In his memo Thursday, Walters said the move to incorporate the Bible was not just an educational directive “but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.”
He also said the State Department of Education may supply teaching materials to ensure the message is delivered uniformly.
The new curriculum will go into effect for the 2024-25 school year, and superintendents across the state were told instructions for monitoring and reporting on the matter will be delivered in the future.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Southern California police officer accidentally shoots colleague in ‘horseplay’ incident
The Pasadena Police Department released video on Thursday of an officer who accidentally shot a colleague while engaged in “unsafe and out-of-policy horseplay” with loaded firearms.
It happened around 6:18 p.m. on Sept. 7, 2025, in the department’s parking structure, located at 240 Ramona Street, according to Chief Gene Harris.
In the cruiser dashcam video, a police car can be seen pulling into the parking garage in front of two uniformed officers, who were standing at the rear of a police SUV that had its trunk open.
As the cruiser approached, an officer could be seen drawing his gun and pointing it directly at the approaching cruiser, which the police chief called “inappropriate.”
A few moments later, the officer reholstered the weapon as he and his colleague smiled.
The video didn’t capture what happened next inside the vehicle, put Chief Harris said the officer seated in the patrol car driver’s seat drew his handgun and “pointed it towards the other officer. During this interaction, the driving officer’s firearm discharged.”
The round smashed through the cruiser’s windshield and hit one of the officers in his left shoulder, the chief said.
In the video, all you see is the dashcam suddenly shaking, with a cloud of dust coming from the car and one of the officers grabbing his shoulder, clearly injured.
The officer inside the car then rushed out of the vehicle to help him to the ground and treat his injury.
Harris said the officer who injured in the shooting has since recovered.
Harris said the department withheld release of the video for nearly 10 months by invoking an exception to state law requiring police shootings be released.
He said the release was delayed because it was “necessary to protect the integrity of the investigation and allow investigators to complete essential investigative steps,” he said.
The incident remains under criminal investigation and force review. Disciplinary measures were taken after an administrative investigation, Harris said.
Harris called the incident “regretful” and not up to the department’s expectations.
Los Angeles, Ca
Police chase suspected DUI driver in Los Angeles County
Officers chased a speeding driver wanted on suspicion of DUI in Los Angeles County Wednesday night.
The chase began out of Lynwood as the suspect drove a Mazda SUV and several Los Angeles Police Department officers trailed closely behind.
At times, the suspect narrowly missed other vehicles while running red lights and speeding on surface streets. The driver entered the northbound 710 Freeway and later transitioned to the 105 and the 110.
On the freeway, the driver weaved dangerously through traffic while hitting speeds of nearly 100 mph. At times, the driver was seen making hand gestures out the window.
The suspect exited in South L.A. and continued speeding on surface streets, at one point, driving the wrong way.
Due to public danger, police cancelled the pursuit near S. Broadway and W. 59th Street in the Broadway-Manchester neighborhood.
It’s unclear whether there were additional passengers inside the SUV.
Footage of the chase can be seen in the video player above.
Los Angeles, Ca
Man shot and killed during child custody exchange in Covina
A man was shot and killed during a child custody exchange in Covina.
On June 9, Covina police were called to a parking lot outside Home Depot at 963 W. Badillo St. just after 6 p.m.
Several people had gathered at the location to facilitate a child custody exchange. During the meeting, as an argument erupted between two men, things escalated.
One of the men pulled out a gun and shot the other man, police said. Officers were called to the scene and, despite lifesaving efforts, the victim was pronounced dead.
The suspect was taken into custody shortly after. Footage from the scene showed the parking lot was cordoned off as officers investigated the area and spoke to the other adults involved in the child custody exchange.
No further details, including the suspect’s or victims’ identities, were released.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Covina Police Department at 626-384-5622.
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