Posted on 09/03/2009 12:33:07 PM PDT by Señor Zorro
A lawsuit is challenging Idaho officials who contend the state constitution forbids use of the Bible in a charter school opening this fall.
The Alliance Defense Fund has filed an action against the Idaho Public Charter School Commission on behalf of Nampa Classical Academy, which, the ADF reports, was threatened with the revocation of its charter if it uses the Bible or any other religious documents or text as part of its curriculum resources.
"The Bible shouldn't be singled out for censorship in public schools, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently held that it is entirely constitutional for it to be studied objectively as an educational resource," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman. "The commission is basing its determination to revoke the charter on its mistaken interpretation of the state constitution's establishment clause. The authors of the Idaho Constitution clearly understood that history cannot be adequately taught without reference to significant religious texts. The commission's interpretation is quite obviously not what constitution's authors intended."
According to the ADF, the Idaho Public Charter School Commission told Nampa Classical Academy, which is opening its public charter school with more than 500 students this year, that its charter will be revoked if it includes the Bible as any part of its curriculum.
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
This is exactly the problem with charter schools. It gives the government an excuse to involve itself in private education. The government needs to get out of education once and for all and let the market do its thing.
How do you teach history with out a history book?
The Bible is one of the few easily available written texts that dates back to that time period. Particularly if you want to go to the Old Testament.
Even if you don’t teach religion (which they weren’t planning on) it only makes sense to use the Bible as a historical reference.
If you don’t have at least a passing knowledge of the Bible you weren’t really educated.
Particularly as this school evidently has a classical focus, it makes no sense to bar what is really "the" basic classical text.
“For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” (1 Peter: 2:15-16)
Ping for later
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