Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale Template

Part 1: Case Analysis

1. Brief summary of the case: A very prestigious school, which had been praised for its
innovative creativity when improving the school curriculum decided to develop a
religious studies course. The site committee collectively designed the proposal that was
approved by the school principal for presentation at the next school board meeting. A
friend of the principal strongly supported the separation of church and state and notified
the local media and began a protest at the school board meeting.

2. Identify the issues to be resolved: The issue was that the neighbor believed that religion
had no place in a public school and that the Bible nor any other religious book was to be
used as a textbook for the course.

3. Stakeholders involved in the issues: Stakeholders involved are a community member and
ultimately the whole community once the news airs on local tv, students and parents.

4. One or two existing laws or court rulings that relate to the issues:
-Mozert v. Hawkins County Board of Education, 827 F. 2d 1058 (1987)- ruled mere
exposure to the texts, among other religious texts, did not violate the free exercise clause
(2012).
- First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government
for a redress of grievances.

5. District policies that relate to the issues:

Slaton ISD EMI LEGAL: 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)

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 6. Possible solutions to the issues: Allow the course to be an elective where participation is
optional, move forward with board presentation to see what board thinks, withdraw
presentation and either do not move forward or go back and revise the plan.

7. The solution you choose to resolve the issues: As an administrator, I would move forward
with presenting the new course to the school board for them to be aware of what caused
the community upset and attend a workshop meeting where they discuss the implications
and make a decision as the school board. I would have the course become an elective
course.

8. Action steps (2-5) for implementing your solution, including a timeline for each step:
1. Speak to board president at meeting to inform him of what is up for approval and what
happened to make the citizen upset enough to bring a protest and media. (Day 1)
2. Present course for school board consideration (Day 1)
3. With the board president draft a response to any negative media attention and possible
answers to community members questions (Day 2)
4. Attenda board workshop meeting to discuss the course and any implications or
challenges (Day 3).
5. Follow directive of the school board regarding the course. If the course is approved,
develop opportunities for parents to meet with me and the superintendent if a parent
wishes to speak with us about the course. (Day 4).

9. Potential moral and legal consequences of the solution: Moral consequences would be
50/50. I believe that 50% of the community would be excited for a course such as a
religious studies one to be offered at the school and 50% would feel as the community
members do. Any legal consequences would not have standing as Mozert v. Hawkins
established that exposure to a culture’s religious attributes and their study is not coercion
(TASB, 2019).

Part 2: Rationale

Support the case analysis with a 500-750 word rationale explaining the solution you chose and
how that solution:

● Supports the school’s vision and mission and safeguards the values of democracy, equity,
and diversity.
● Promotes social justice and ensures that individual student needs inform all aspects of
schooling.
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 ● Promotes collaboration, trust, learning, and high expectations.

Case Rational

In the case “The Bible and Mrs. Wright”, as an administrator, I would allow the
presentation of the course to be brought before the school board for their consideration. I would
imagine the school board would like to table a vote in order to workshop the course to figure out
any legal implications and community scrutiny. In Slaton ISD, our school’s mission is, “to
inspire and empower all students to lead extraordinary lives and embrace the possibilities of the
21st century through relevant, engaging learning experiences led by inspirational and nurturing
educators (SISD, 2019).” I believe that in order to inspire their extraordinary lives, it is our duty
to expose them to the different aspects of the world around them. The United States, especially
Texas, is a melting pot of different cultures. The opportunity to learn about the attributes of
different cultures will serve them very well in their future endeavors.
I also believe that it is our duty to educate students who are socially aware of the
differences that exist between groups of people. Many of the world’s problems today stem from
individuals not understanding and supporting the differences between cultures. We are educating
the whole child, and I would want to be responsible for educating and graduating students who
are well-rounded in their learning. This course would pair nicely with a character and social
justice program to teach students to respect differences.
With this, I also know that I must be sensitive to community views. My tactic to handle
the media attention would be to not create more controversy around the issue but to formulate a
response that is sensitive to their feelings about the course but also provide a plethora of
information about the ways the course would enhance the lives of our students. Just because Mrs.
Wright does not agree with the course, I believe that through educating the community, I would
have a number of community members that support what we are trying to do. I would harness
that support in a way as to not match the amount of public display she chose to use but lend a
certain amount of credibility to what we are trying to do within the school community.

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Cite the case and any other source documents as appropriate.

Mozert v. Hawkins County Board of Education, 827 F. 2d 1058 (1987). (2012). Retrieved July
16, 2020, from
https://uscivilliberties.org/cases/4173-mozert-v-hawkins-county-board-of-education-827-
f-2d-1058-1987.html

Home. (2020). Retrieved July 16, 2020, from http://www.slatonisd.net/home

Texas Association of School Boards. (2019). Teaching about religion in public schools [PDF
file}. Retrieved from
https://www.tasb.org/services/legal-services/tasb-school-law-esource/community/religion
-in-the-public-schools/documents/student-religious-expression.pdf

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