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Texas OKs Standards for Bible Classes in
High School
(AP) - The
Texas State Board of Education gave final approval Friday to
establishing Bible classes in public high schools, rejecting calls to
draw specific teaching guidelines and warnings that it could lead to
constitutional problems in the classroom. The Legislature passed a law
in 2007 allowing Bible courses to be offered as an elective. They are
supposed to focus on the history and literature of the Bible without
preaching or disparaging any faith.
State officials are still waiting for an attorney general's ruling on
whether the classes must be offered to students or left to school
districts to decide.
Critics say the rule adopted 10-5 by the board doesn't provide specific
enough guidelines to help teachers and school districts know how to do
that and avoid a First Amendment clash over freedom of religion.
"This is what happens when our elected officials put politics and
personal agendas ahead of the interests of our school children and
their families," said Ryan Valentine, deputy director Texas Freedom
Network, which monitors the influence of religion in public policy.
Supporters say schools will have all the constitutional guidance they
need. The purpose of the classes is to teach biblical content and its
context in modern society, including culture, art and public policy.
The adopted rule follows broad guidelines used for English and social
studies classes. It says courses should follow applicable law and "all
federal and state guidelines in maintaining religious neutrality and
accommodating the diverse religious views, traditions, and perspectives
of students in their school district."
Courses shall not "endorse, favor, or promote, or disfavor or show
hostility toward, any particular religion or nonreligious faith or
religious perspective," the rule says.
"I think that's pretty specific," said Jonathan Saenz of the
conservative Free Market Foundation. "The constitutional safeguards are
there."
Mark Chancey, associate professor in religious studies at Southern
Methodist University, has studied Bible classes already offered in
about 25 districts for the Texas Freedom Network.
The study found most of the courses were explicitly devotional with
almost exclusively Christian, usually Protestant, perspectives.
It also found that most were taught by teachers with no academic
training in biblical, religious or theological studies and who were not
familiar with the issues of separation of church and state.
"Some classes promote creation science. Some classes denigrate Judaism.
Some classes explicitly encourage students to convert to Christianity
or to adopt Christian devotional practices," Chancey said. "This is all
well documented, and the board knows it."
State Attorney General Greg Abbott's office weighed in on the general
guidelines earlier this month, saying they pass constitutional muster.
Abbott's office wouldn't guarantee, however, that a specific course
would be constitutional because none have yet been proposed or
reviewed.
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