Reading, writing, and the Ten Commandments? Why some public schools teach the Bible.

As U.S. states mandate study of the Bible and Ten Commandments in public schools, the idea of separation of church and state enters a new era.

Oklahoma unveiled a bold new plan in June requiring all public schools to incorporate the Bible across the curriculum.

The first 500 Bibles it purchased were the “Trump Bible ,” for which the president-elect will receive a licensing fee.

Oklahoma has ordered 55,000 Bibles to be used in public school classrooms.

The Supreme Court has consistently forbidden officially sponsored devotional or religious uses of the Bible in public schools since the 1960s .

But it has always ruled that the Bible could be used for educationally appropriate purposes.

Superintendent: "Immediate and strict compliance is expected".

Religious conservatives have for decades rejected the idea of the “separation of church and state” Critics say the recent efforts are part of a long-term legal project.

Advocates and legal scholars point to a Supreme Court case in 2022 that sparked the current movement to make more room for religion in public schools.