OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� Oklahoma鈥檚 new education chief said Wednesday he has 鈥渘o plans to distribute Bibles鈥� or a biblical curriculum in public schools, reversing course from his predecessor, Ryan Walters.

State Superintendent Lindel Fields, who was , indicated Wednesday he will not fight in court to defend Walters鈥� order that .

A lawsuit, which , challenged the mandate and and a biblical curriculum through a public bidding process.

鈥淲e plan to file a motion to dismiss, and have no plans to distribute Bibles or a biblical character education curriculum in classrooms,鈥� Fields announced in a statement Wednesday. 鈥淚f resources are left to be allocated, the timing is fortunate since the team and I are currently reviewing the (Oklahoma State Department of Education) budget.鈥�

The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday gave Fields until Oct. 28 to decide whether to resolve the lawsuit by withdrawing the Bible directives.

Represented by local and national legal groups, 32 parents, students, educators and faith leaders sued Walters, the Education Department, the Oklahoma State Board of Education and the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which oversees bidding and purchasing for state agencies.

Requiring biblical instruction in public schools and purchasing Bibles with taxpayer dollars violates the Oklahoma Constitution鈥檚 ban on state-established religion, they contend.

The Supreme Court acknowledged there鈥檚 been 鈥渟ignificant turnover鈥� of the public officials involved in the case. Walters to lead a conservative nonprofit, and Gov. Kevin Stitt has replaced every member of the state Board of Education since the lawsuit was filed in October 2024. The head of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, Rick Rose, also recently resigned.

Fields became the lead defendant in the case when Stitt appointed him to finish Walters鈥� term as state superintendent.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs said they are 鈥渆ncouraged鈥� to hear Fields鈥� comments and are discussing next steps with their clients, according to their joint statement Wednesday. The group includes Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.

鈥淭he promise of separation of church and state guaranteed by the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions means that families and students 鈥� not politicians 鈥斅爂et to decide when and how to engage with religion,鈥� their joint statement reads.聽鈥淭he attempts to promote religion in the classroom and the abuses of power that the Oklahoma State Department of Education engaged in under Walters鈥� tenure should never happen in Oklahoma or anywhere in the United States again.鈥�

The state Supreme Court hasn鈥檛 reached a final decision in the lawsuit, but it agreed in March to from purchasing Bibles and a biblical curriculum while the case is pending.

Walters鈥� administration already to give to Advanced Placement government classes.

In a separate case, the Court courses that would have required public schools to teach Bible stories and the teachings of Jesus.

Walters said this instruction would help contextualize the beliefs of America鈥檚 founding fathers and key historical figures. He also called the separation of church and state a myth.

Fields doesn鈥檛 oppose Bibles being present in public schools, said his spokesperson, Tara Thompson. Students already are permitted to bring their own copies to school or to access the Bible online, and many districts keep a Bible in their libraries.

However, Fields鈥� administration has raised doubts about whether purchasing Bibles and racking up legal fees are the best use of taxpayer dollars, Thompson said during a media briefing Wednesday afternoon.

The agency鈥檚 new leadership aims to quickly dismiss as many lawsuits as possible, she said. The Education Department鈥檚 lead attorney, Jacki Phelps, said five cases are still pending against the agency.

That includes two lawsuits challenging the social studies standards that Walters鈥� administration developed. Thompson said Fields would like to reach an amicable resolution with the plaintiffs in those cases, and permanently reverting to Oklahoma鈥檚 2019 standards is a possible solution.

鈥淭hose were award-winning standards,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淥ur schools have them, are familiar with them. And so, in the essence of time, that鈥檚 an option that鈥檚 on the table. Is that the one that gets selected? I don鈥檛 know yet. I hope to have that answered in the next couple of weeks.鈥�

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