Oklahoma is making changes to a previous request in its continued efforts to place Bibles in the state's public schools.
The original request required 55,000 potentially added Bibles to include U.S. historical documents like the Declaration of Independence, which would match the costly "God Bless the USA Bible" endorsed by former president Donald Trump.
The new request was amended Monday, stating the historical documents may be included together or separately, according to the Associated Press (AP). The deadline for offers to supply the items has also been extended by one week, from Oct. 14 to Oct. 21.
The request is part of State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ efforts to require Bibles in public school classrooms, which has been met with resistance by some of Oklahoma’s largest school districts.
Walters, in a Monday video on X, said the Bible will be used “because of its historical significance throughout this nation’s history,” blaming what he called the “fake news media” for lies about the program.
“The left-wing media hates Donald Trump so much, and they hate the Bible so much, they will lie and go to any means necessary to stop this initiative from happening,” Walters said.
Walters’ spokesperson, Dan Issett, said in a statement that the changes to the “request for proposal,” or RFP, were suggested by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which issues the requests and were agreed to by Walters.
“Unfortunately, there have been false reports that have been repeated by numerous, supposedly credible, news organizations that the state’s RFP was catered to one specific organization,” Issett said, noting that tailoring the request so that only one manufacturer’s Bible would qualify would be illegal.
Christa Helfrey, a spokesperson for OMES, said the changes were made to the request to try to save taxpayer money.
“OMES worked with OSDE to amend the solicitation to provide the listed resources at a much better value to Oklahomans,” Helfrey said.
The initial request included requirements that are not commonly found in Bibles but are included in the “God Bless the USA Bible,” which Trump urged his supporters to begin buying earlier this year at a website that sells the book for $59.99.
The Bibles must be bound in “leather or leather-like material for durability,” according to the initial request.
Similar Bibles that don’t include the Declaration of Independence or Constitution are available online for less than $20.
