[Makes sense, IF she was the one that said pull the tree.]
January 21, 1998 -- U.S. Judge Issues Split Decision on Bible Class
FORT MYERS, FL -- A federal judge has issued a split ruling in a case involving a controversial Bible class, allowing a Florida school district to teach a course based on the Old Testament but barring it from teaching one based on the New Testament, Reuters reports.
The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and People for the American Way against the Lee County School Board, which voted last year to teach a two-semester Bible history class supported by the Christian Coalition.
The ACLU suit, filed on behalf of parents and other county residents, alleged that the course unconstitutionally used the Bible as a history book.
U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich said in the 20-page ruling that the school board could implement the Old Testament-based Bible History I, scheduled to be unveiled in the southwestern Florida district's schools Wednesday.
But she issued a preliminary injunction against the use of Bible History II, based on the New Testament and due to begin in March.
Kovachevich said the school board had satisfied the court by adopting a curriculum for the first phase that was "ostensibly designed to teach history and not religion," thereby meeting the requirement that the course had a secular purpose.
But she issued an injunction against the New Testament phase, ruling that the court "finds it difficult to conceive how the account of the resurrection or of miracles could be taught as secular history."
Reuters said that both sides in the dispute claimed a measure of victory.
Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida, said the decision should send a message to other U.S. school districts that were considering adopting the New Testament curriculum. He also said the ACLU would monitor and videotape the Old Testament classes.
"If we find that these so-called history classes remain disguised religion classes, or that they are not taught in an objective manner, or that they are an attempt to indoctrinate students with a particular religious point of view, then we will be back before Judge Kovachevich with the videotapes and other evidence," Simon said.
Kovachevich said she expected the ACLU to monitor and videotape the classes and return to her court if it was dissatisfied with the courses.
"The fact that the classes are monitored may prevent any veiled attempt to promote religion or Christianity in the guise of teaching history," she wrote.
The Lee County School Board voted 3-2 on Oct. 21 to adopt the North Carolina-based National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools program, which is supported by the Christian Coalition.
Source: Reuters, January 21, 1998