Friday, Nov. 21, 2008

Trustees want more details before making Bible course decision

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By SANDRA ENGELLAND

Keller school district officials decided to delay plans to offer a Bible-as-literature course for high school students.

"We’re going to table it until we get more direction and better parameters from the state," said Deana Lopez, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

At the Oct. 27 board meeting, administrators proposed the potential course offering for the 2009-10 school year. Several trustees said they supported the idea of a course on the literary or historical significance of the Bible, but were concerned such a class would draw criticism from those who had strong religious beliefs or those who were opposed to the use of the Bible in public schools.

A few board members wanted to see the curriculum before approving a class. Lopez said the lack of curriculum was one of the chief reasons for not having the class.

More school districts are planning to offer Bible courses following a 2007 vote in the Texas Legislature which provides for elective public school courses on the study of the Bible.

House Bill 1287 adds "religious literature, including the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament" to the required enrichment curriculum.

Keller officials cited an Aug. 28 opinion from the Texas Attorney General indicating that school districts do not have to offer a standalone Bible course.

Jonathan Saenz, an attorney and consultant to the Liberty Legal Institute, which promotes the use of the Bible in public education, said districts that do not have a specific class are required to incorporate the religious text as part of another course.

Lopez said officials are studying how the Bible can best be incorporated in other classes. She expects that information to be available in the coming months.

Saenz said several popular versions of Bible-as-literature curriculum exist. He noted the Bible Literacy Project and the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools as two top choices.

According to the Bible Literacy Project Web site, the curriculum is offered in 40 states. The NCBCPS Web site states their course materials are used in 1,900 high schools in 38 states.

The NCBCPS curriculum was the subject of a lawsuit involving the Ector County school district, which includes Odessa schools.

The suit, filed by a few parents represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, was dropped after district officials agreed to not use the NCBCPS curriculum and develop their own.

Saenz said the suit showed that the Bible could be used in public classrooms. He said school districts that offered the classes were being careful to teach the course in a way that was not offensive.

An ACLU representative was unavailable for comment.

Both proponents and opponents of the Bible in public schools are interpreting the attorney general’s opinion as a victory.

Saenz said the opinion stated that schools had to incorporate the Bible into courses they offer if they do not have a separate course.

According to a press release from the ACLU of Texas, officials said the opinion affirms that districts are not required to offer the Bible course.

The Texas Education Agency offers a frequently-asked-questions document on the Bible course. It states that although districts are not required to offer the class, they should incorporate religious literature into existing history or literature courses.

Keller officials also cited financial concerns about the cost of adding staff for the elective course. According to early estimates, the class would cost about $44,000 for teachers and curriculum if it were offered at each high school.

Lopez said administrators would revisit the idea of offering a Bible course for the 2010-11 school year.