A CNN news anchor and Oklahoma’s school superintendent had an on-screen brawl over his new mandate, requiring schools to play a video of him praying for newly elected President Donald Trump.
Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters emailed school districts last week telling them to play the video for students and parents.
In the video, he blamed the “radical left” and “woke teachers unions” for “attacking religious freedom” and invited students to join him in praying for Trump and the country.
School districts in that state have pushed back, arguing that Walters does not have the authority to require them to “disrupt the school day.”
CNN Newsroom host Pamela Brown asked Walters on Monday about what gives him the authority to make such demands when, according to the state’s attorney general, he has no power to force schools to show the clip.
“Frankly, I have continued to hear the gaslighting from the left, even from this network, spreading lies about what is happening across America,” Walters said.
“President Trump has a clear mandate. He wants prayers at school again. He wants radical leftism out of the classroom, wants our children to be patriotic, wants parents to regain control over their choice of school.
“We are carrying out that agenda here in Oklahoma. That’s what our parents want. Every county in Oklahoma voted for President Trump. His agenda is crystal clear and we are going to implement it in the state of Oklahoma.”
CNN host Pamela Brown and Oklahoma Education Superintendent Ryan Walters sparred on screen
Ryan Walters sent an email to school districts last week telling them to play a video of him praying for Trump
Brown concluded his claim, saying, “I’m not going to address what you said about gaslighting this network about this.”
“You know, I appreciate you putting out that left-wing narrative here, but this is the reality. The Constitution…” Walters said.
Brown interrupted again and said, “It’s not a left-wing story. I’m literally talking about a petition that parents signed that has gotten over 14,000 signatures addressing this issue.”
Walters is being sued by a group of parents of public school students, teachers and pastors for demanding that the Bible be included in lesson plans for students in grades 5 through 12.
He wants to buy 55,000 Bibles for public schools and specifies that each copy must contain the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit noted that the State Department’s original “request for proposal” to purchase the Bibles appeared to be carefully tailored to Donald Trump’s approved Bibles that sell for $59.99 each.
Brown asked Walters about the graphic parts of the Bible and what he would say to critics who say that if the Bible is required in the classroom, then so are other religious texts.
“The left doesn’t want our children to know about the role the Bible has played in American history,” Walters said.
Walters is being sued by a group of public school parents, teachers and pastors for demanding the Bible be included in lesson plans
Brown noted that the U.S. Constitution “contains no god” and that the First Amendment allows for religious freedom.
“Look, CNN doesn’t have to like it. Left-wing activists don’t have to like it,” Walters said.
‘It is a historical document. The Bible is a historical document. You can’t rewrite history, okay?
“And again, look, the media doesn’t have to like it, but the reality is that the American people have rejected this gaslighting and put President Trump back in the White House with a clear agenda, and we will stand tall. behind the president every step of the way.”
Brown concluded, “To be clear, this isn’t about the media not liking it. I’m talking about your critics and whether you are willing to consider their point of view because, as you know, you oversee an entire educational system in the state of Oklahoma, with people with different points of view. And we want to bring that to light.’