Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale 1

Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale

Yan Lam Cheng

Grand Canyon University: EAD 505

11/26/2020
Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale 2

Part 1: Case Analysis

1. Brief summary of the case:

Laurel Palm Middle School (LPMS) is a top-performing school. The principal is

Ms. Avery. She is very innovative and supportive for her staff to develop new and

interesting curriculum programs at her school.

She is a very experienced school administrator that has the support of her

teachers, parents, and students. Teachers formed a school-based curriculum researching

committee that proposed including a new religious studies course in their curriculum.

Bible is one of the textbook references to be used in the course. Ms. Avery accepted

program proposal and planning to present the proposal to the school board meeting

A group of local community group was expressing their opposition about

religious studies program in the presences of local media before the presentation of Ms.

Avery about the new religious studies course.

2. Identify the issues to be resolved:

The community lacks knowledge about the content of the religious studies course and the

curriculum; therefore, they oppose teaching religious studies courses at the middle school

level.

3. Stakeholders involved in the issues:

There are three stakeholders in this issue. Local community group who opposed the new

religious studies course. The School Board who needs to make the final decision about

the religious studies course. The school-based researching committee who supports the

religious studies course.

4. One or two existing laws or court rulings that relate to the issues:
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House Bill 1287 of Texas details the elective courses provided by the public school

towards the academic study of the Bible. SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 28,

Education Code Sec. 28.011. ELECTIVE COURSES ON THE BIBLE'S HEBREW

SCRIPTURES (OLD TESTAMENT) AND NEW TESTAMENT AND THEIR

IMPACT ON THE HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION.

(a) A school district may offer to students in grade nine or above:

(1) an elective course on the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and its

impact and an elective course on the New Testament and its impact;

or

(2) an elective course that combines the courses described by

Subdivision (1).

(b) The purpose of a course under this section is to:

(1) teach students knowledge of biblical content, characters, poetry, and

narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary

society and culture, including literature, art, music, mores, oratory,

and public policy; and

(2) familiarize students with, as applicable:

(A) the contents of the Hebrew Scriptures or New

Testament;

(B) the history of the Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament;

(C) the literary style and structure of the Hebrew Scriptures

or New Testament; and

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(D) the influence of the Hebrew Scriptures or New

Testament on law, history, government, literature, art,

music, customs, morals, values, and culture.

(c) A student may not be required to use a specific translation as the sole text of the

Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament and may use as the basic textbook a different

translation of the Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament from that chosen by the

board of trustees of the student's school district or the student's teacher.

(d) A course offered under this section shall 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. A

course under this section shall not endorse, favor, or promote, or disfavor or show

hostility toward, any particular religion or nonreligious faith or religious

perspective. Nothing in this statute is intended to violate any provision of the

United States Constitution or federal law, the Texas Constitution or any state law,

or any rules or guidelines provided by the United States Department of Education

or the Texas Education Agency (80(R) HB 1287 - Enrolled Version - Bill Text,

2008).

5. District policies that relate to the issues:

Fort Bend ISD EMI(LOCAL)-A explains the teaching about religion. The inclusion of

religion in the study of history, culture, literature, music, drama, and art is essential to a

full and fair presentation of the curriculum. The inclusion of religious elements is

appropriate as long as the material included is intrinsic to the field of study in which it is

presented and as long as it is presented objectively.

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The District's approach to teaching about religion shall be academic, not devotional.

Emphasis on religious themes in the arts, literature, and history shall be only as extensive

as necessary for a balanced and thorough study of these areas. Such studies shall not

foster any particular religious tenet nor demean any religious beliefs, but shall attempt to

develop mutual respect among students and advance their knowledge and appreciation of

the role that religious heritage plays in the social, cultural, and historic development of

civilization. Use of religious texts in instruction shall be guided by the principles set

forth above (Long, 2002).

The District may instruct students in the study of comparative religion or the history of

religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. The study of the Bible or

of religion for its literary and historic qualities, when presented objectively as part of a

secular program of education, is consistent with the First Amendment. School Dist. of

Abington v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963).

The District shall not require teaching and learning to be tailored to the principles or

prohibitions of any religious sect or dogma. The District shall not adopt programs or

practices that aid or oppose any religion. Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1968)

(holding unconstitutional a prohibition against teaching evolution); Edwards v.

Aguillard, 482  U.S. 578 (1987) (holding unconstitutional a requirement that creationism

be taught with evolution)

The Board may offer an elective course based on the books of a religion other than

Christianity. In determining whether to offer such a course, the Board may consider

various factors, including student and parent demand for such a course and the impact

such books have had on history and culture.

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The District may offer a course, other than the course authorized by Education

Code 28.011, in the academic study of the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, or

both for local credit or for state elective credit towards high school graduation (Long,

2010).

6. Possible solutions to the issues:

Possible solution to this issue may include the following

 Set up a meeting with the opposing community to present all the legal documents,

including the House Bill and Board Policy, about the study of religion. Also, I

will present the alignment between the curriculum of the new religious studies

course with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills of Social Studies about

religion. The purpose of the meeting is to clear the opposing community’s

misconception and gain their support of the program.

 Postpone the implementation of the new religious studies course after the

approval of the school board and gain the support of the community

 Re-evaluate the formation of the curriculum research committee. Ms. Avery may

include community members in the committee to include all stakeholders in the

decision-making process of implementing the new curriculum at Laurel Palm

Middle School. Then restart the implementation of the new religious studies

course.

7. The solution you choose to resolve the issues:

There are a sequence in my solution. First, I would resolve the issues by postponing the

proposal to the school board meeting about the new religious studies course. Then I

would schedule a meeting with the opposing community, including Ms. Wright to present

all legal documents and clear their misconception about the course. After that, I would
Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale 7

relaunch the implementation of the new religious studies course. Then I would

reschedule the proposal meeting with the school board and seek their approval on the

course.

8. Action steps (2-5) for implementing your solution, including a timeline for each step:

 First, I would postpone the proposal of the new religious studies course with the

school board until their next meeting

 Second, I would schedule a meeting with the opposing community and Ms.

Wright. The purpose of the meeting is to clear all the misconceptions that the

opposing community and Ms. Wright have towards the new religious studies

course and gain their support for students’ success. During the meeting, the

curriculum research committee would explain the detailed curriculum plan to the

community. The committee would explain the reason for the addition of the new

religious studies course to the current curriculum program. The committee and

school administrator would present House Bill 1287 and the District Policy

relating to the instructional policies over the study of religion. Also, the

committee would explain the alignment between the curriculum of the new

religious studies course and the curriculum of the Texas Essential Knowledge and

Skills for Social Studies 17(A) Culture. The student understands the relationships

among religion, philosophy, and culture. The student is expected to explain the

relationship between religious ideas, philosophical ideas, and cultures (19 TAC

Chapter 113, Subchapter B, 2011). The committee would explain how the

religious studies course follows House Bill 1287 and the District Policy.

 Third, I would have a conversation with Ms. Beckel and the researching

committee about the importance of keeping school matters confidential. Teachers

Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale 8

and staff are not allowed to discuss school matters with the community, including

school plan at any private event. Then I would show teachers different ways to

include parents and community to support students' learning.

 Then I would direct the curriculum research committee to conduct a students and

parents survey about implementing the new religious studies course.  

 After the survey, the curriculum researching committee would present the survey

results and make necessary adjustments to the curriculum to meet students'

learning needs.

 Then I would schedule an interview with the local media about the purpose of the

new religious studies course and explain how the course would support students'

learning.

 I would propose the course to the school board to seek their approval.

9. Potential moral and legal consequences of the solution:

The opposing community and some teachers and staff may not support the

implementation of the new religious studies course. School board may not approve the

course. There are no potential legal consequence of the solution since there were no

violation of the federal, state and local law and regulations.

Part 2: Rationale

The solution for this issue is compliant with the Federal, State, and District Policies and

Procedures. The solution should also be aligned with the school’s vision and mission to promote

students’ academic success and well-being. The principal plays an active and essential part of

the collaboration between community and school. The principal needs to handle this issue

carefully to establish trust in the community towards the school.

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Alignment between School’s vision, mission, and the solution

The solution that I chose to solve the issue is supporting our school's mission and vision

statement. Fort Bend ISD's mission statement is to inspire and equip all students to pursue

futures beyond what they can imagine (Strategic Plan / Strategic Plan, n.d.). My solution was

supporting this mission by equipping all students to understand the relationship between

religions in the World.

The solution that I chose was aligning with Fort Bend ISD's vision about students. Fort

Bend ISD's vision is to graduate students who exhibit the attributes of the District's Profile of a

Graduate (Strategic Plan / Strategic Plan, n.d.). One of the characteristics of the profile is an

effective communicator. My solution was modeling effective communication and collaboration

between school staff, administrators, community, school board, and local media to ensure

fairness, equity, and diversity within the new religion studies curriculum and foster a safe

learning environment to meet the students' needs by following all the State and school policies. 

           FBISD graduates has a rigorous academic foundation, strong character, and is a life-long

learner (Strategic Plan / Strategic Plan, n.d.). Students who took the course would equip students

to have a broader and more in-depth understanding of the religions in the World. By gaining

more knowledge from the new religious studies course, students will be approach life with

wonder and curiosity in different areas, including religion.

Promote Collaboration, Trust learning and High Expectation at the School Setting

           The solution that I chose promotes collaboration and building trust between all

stakeholders of the issue. I coordinated a meeting with Ms. Wright, the opposing community,

with the research curriculum committee to gain clarity on the new religion studies course's

curriculum. This encouraged discussion and collaboration between the community and the
Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale 10

school on the curriculum development of religious studies positively and meaningful for

students' academic success and well-being. This action is also supporting the PSEL Standard 8:

meaning engagement of families and community. Effective educational leaders engage families

and the community in meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial ways to promote each

student's academic success and well-being (National Policy Board for Educational

Administration, 2015).

The solution that I chose was modeling the servant leadership style. A servant leader is

servant first. They focus on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which

they belong (What Is Servant Leadership?, n.d.). As a servant leader, I listened to all

stakeholders in this issue and their concerns.  I scheduled a meeting with Ms. Wright and the

opposing community with the community's research curriculum committee to gain clarity on the

new religion studies course's curriculum. During the meeting, I presented all the documents to

support the alignment between the curriculum and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skill. I

also conducted a survey to let students and parent have a voice about their expectation of the

curriculum of the new religious studies course. I advocated the students' learning needs and

growth by including the course about religion in the school curriculum, hoping the community

including parents and students, would support the new religion studies course through effective

collaboration and communication. I put students' interests before my interest.  

Promote Social Justice and Ensure Individual Student Needs at the School Setting

           The solution that I chose promotes social justice for all students in the school.  Social

justice advocates hope to build a society in which individuals have equal access to resources and

receive equitable treatment regardless of their race, gender, religion, sexuality, income level, or

disability (Blake, 2020). The new religious studies course is going to include different religious

references, including the Bible and Koran. The course will help all students across all grade
Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale 11

levels in the school to have a better and more in-depth understanding of different religions in the

World. The course will provide a platform and enable discussion among all students. These will

empower all students to voice their concerns and questions regarding different religions in

society and the World. This course will promote collaboration between students and teachers and

have high expectations in the religion studies. Through diverse and productive conversations and

case studies, students will have agreement or disagreements over religions. However, the

teachers expect students to work together and increase learning through academic discourse and

diverse class materials, including different books and articles of different religions in the

World.  

The principal is the chief of the school that oversees curriculum, instruction, and school

budget. The principal also needs to make sure the school is compliant with all the Federal, State,

and District Policies and Procedures. At the same time, all decision needs to align with the

District Mission and Vision. The principal will need to be very careful when making decisions

to ensure all students’ academic success and well-being.

Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale 12

Reference

80(R) HB 1287 - Enrolled version - Bill Text. (2008). Capitol.Texas.Gov.

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/HB01287F.HTM

19 TAC Chapter 113, Subchapter B. (2011). Texas Education Agency.

http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter113/ch113b.html

Blake, C. (2020, June 4). How to Teach Social Justice in the Classroom | Resilient Educator.

ResilientEducator.Com. https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/teaching-

social-justice/

Long, M. (2002, July 1). MISCELLANEOUS INSTRUCTIONAL POLICIES: STUDY OF

RELIGION - EMI(LOCAL)-A - Fort Bend ISD. Policy On Line.

https://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Download/483?

filename=EMI(LOCAL).html&title=MISCELLANEOUS%20INSTRUCTIONAL

%20POLICIES&subtitle=STUDY%20OF%20RELIGION

Long, M. (2010, February 9). MISCELLANEOUS INSTRUCTIONAL POLICIES: STUDY OF

RELIGION - EMI(LEGAL)-P - Fort Bend ISD. Policy On Line.

https://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Download/483?

filename=EMI(LEGAL).html&title=MISCELLANEOUS%20INSTRUCTIONAL

%20POLICIES&subtitle=STUDY%20OF%20RELIGION

National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2015). Professional Standards for

Educational Leaders. Https://Www.Npbea.Org/Wp-

Content/Uploads/2017/06/Professional-Standards-for-Educational-Leaders_2015.Pdf.
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https://www.npbea.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Professional-Standards-for-

Educational-Leaders_2015.pdf

Strategic Plan / Strategic Plan. (n.d.). Fort Bend ISD. Retrieved December 1, 2020, from

https://www.fortbendisd.com/domain/87

What is Servant Leadership? (n.d.). Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. Retrieved

December 1, 2020, from https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/