Oklahoma changes Ryan Walters' proposal to supply 55,000 Bibles to public schools

M. Scott Carter
The Oklahoman
Published 7:09 p.m. CT Oct. 7, 2024 | Updated 12:24 p.m. CT Oct. 8, 2024

A request issued by the Oklahoma State Department of Education to purchase thousands of Bibles for public schools was significantly changed Monday after questions arose surrounding its legality. … New documents posted on the Education Department’s website show the vendor requirements underwent at least two major changes: the delivery date and a provision that now allows the vendor to provide Bibles and other documents such as copies of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights separately.

Unbundling the Bible and the set of historical documents appears to expand the number of possible vendors. … The new request for proposals, under a section labeled scope and description, now says: “The supplier must provide only the King James Version Bible for historical accuracy and contain both the Old and New Testaments.”

A second provision reads: “The supplier must also provide copies of The United States Pledge of Allegiance, The U.S. Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These can be bound together or separately” but must be bound in durable material. … The earlier version of the document stated that “the suppliers' Bible must include copies of The United States Pledge of Allegiance, The U.S. Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. … Additionally, the date for the “receipt of offers” is now Oct. 21. The original date was Oct. 14.

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The changes come after the nonprofit news outlet Oklahoma Watch published a story that chronicled how the Education Department's original request to purchase 55,000 Bibles appeared to be written for a specific copy of the Bible: the Lee Greenwood "God Bless the USA" edition of the Bible, which has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

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(This story was updated to add new information.)