Religious rights activists want the State Board of Education to slow down on their adoption of the newest course offering to students, the Bible. The major issues of discussion are that there are no instructors “qualified” to adequately teach the course and the possible infringement on student’s rights. What I find interesting is that our current educational system suffers and the State Board wants to bring in another course where they’ll be knocking around in the dark – but hey, why have it worked out before we roll it out to the students, let’s just fly with it. The law is also not clear with regards to whether the course will be voluntary or mandatory if more than 15 students request it, which could cause issue with some parents and students if not cleared up before the course offering in the 2009 school year. However, what I find most interesting is the approach that the State Board of Education will take in not imposing on the students’ religious beliefs and rights.
Chancey said it requires the "wisdom of Solomon" to balance the constitutional concerns, diverse religious sensitivities and academic quality. Teachers need specific standards, not the general framework that is up for consideration.
"Without such direction, they are likely to create problematic courses that would not withstand court scrutiny," he wrote in a letter to the board.
As stated in the article, Texas may be looking to Florida for ideas on how to role out the program as Florida has taken measures to “avoid legal trouble spots.” Florida has provided specific course guidelines, but again who is going to actually teach the course. And, is it possible for the teacher who teaches the course to not allow their personal beliefs to influence what or how they are teaching the students?
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Academic Freedom
I would like to address the question you ask in the last paragraph of your latest post, which is, "...is it possible for the teacher who teaches the (Bible) course to not allow their personal beliefs to influence what or how they are teaching the students?" As a future teacher, the answer is a resounding-no; I firmly believe that it is not ever really possible to separate your personal ideologies from how you teach. The only way that such an approach is possible is to take humanism out of the picture, and say, have the course content online. (Even then, though, the curriculum is subject to the scrutiny of what is selected to be taught and how questions are worded.)
I give you two examples to support my claim: First, I recently had the pleasure of observing a class of four and five year old children at the Asian American Cultural Center. While the focus of the school is to bring together East and West, there is absolutely no mention of religion with regard to the Early Childhood program. However, very focused observations revealed several subtle expressions of the ancient Chinese philosophies, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. The teacher (a PhD) never explicitly said, "Okay, class, today we're going to learn Confucianism." Rather, the culture of the school itself and the beliefs of the instructor were evident in the teaching style. Secondly, a few years back I took U.S. Government at ACC & it was taught by a feminist, liberal, Democrat. Need I say more? However, despite our differing ideologies the class was not only informative but enjoyable and challenging as well.
Your article failed to mention that the 2009 Texas Bible course will focus on the Bible's impact on history and literature, not at all "religious" in nature. After all, the works of Shakespeare have more than 1,000 biblical references, and even the U.S. Supreme Court has said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities
Additionally, I would like to point out that the State Board of Education is not counting on "[rolling] it out to the students", as you say, rather, they are leaving it up to the local school districts. Districts that have board members we elect & meetings that are open to the public. If one was really concerned, there is plenty of action that can be taken to make your voice heard.
Lastly, regarding possible legal suits for such a public school course offering in Texas let's not forget that it is an elective, as in the only students taking them will be those who choose to.
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