Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale

Case Summary

In the case of The Bible and Ms. Wright, a public middle school wants to develop a

religious studies course. The course was suggested by a parent during a committee meeting.

The school principal has had support from the school board, in the past, with proposing

innovations to improve established curriculum. There are other schools in the state including

similar courses as part of their schools’ curriculum. Teachers have been appointed to present

the prepare a document to present at the school board. Within that document, a textbook is

proposed. Within the textbook, the Bible, along with other religious documents, are cited as

sources. When information is shared by a parent committee member with individuals in the

community, some members of the community express a strong concern with the Bible being

used as a source.

Problem

Community members are accusing the school of not following the constitution by

separating church from state.

Leadership Candidate Perspective

The Leadership Candidate considered if school committee is qualified to develop

curriculum. The candidate believes courses for core subjects of reading and math should be

based in research-based texts and materials. Schools should be allowed to supplement those

materials with specifically designed instruction to meet individual students and class needs.

This could include use of thinking maps to clarify and help student organized thoughts,
utilizing additional models that could include hands-on approaches or visual models, and

extending concepts to include students use of critical thinking and analysis skills. The

candidate considered if the parent had an obligation to share her neighbor’s concern with the

school principal. While it would be helpful if all stakeholders were transparent, as a school

administrator, one must understand that individuals may come to the table with personal

agendas. Stakeholders may tend to share only the information that supports their own point of

view. Principals must take this into consideration. The neighbor has a right to her opinion;

however, the bigger question is if a comparative religious studies course will include the legal

requirement of separation of church and state. If the principal is made aware of a controversy

prior to the school board meeting, he or she does have an obligation to make those concerns

known before the meeting. The media has a right to report on topics that impact the

community. Discouraging the media from attending a school board meeting, would reflect an

image that the school is attempting to cover up or be deceptive. The school and the district

should strive to be transparent.

The Leadership Candidate believes that at least some of the concerns with the

comparative religion class is due to miscommunication and a rush to include a course not fully

researched. Community members expressed a concern with the Bible being used as a

textbook. It is the candidate’s belief this was misconstrued from the information of a textbook

being used that includes the Bible as a source. The state has adopted comparative religion

textbooks, may cite by including brief quotes from the Bible to be compared to other religious

manuscripts to help student draw comparisons and contractions. This is much different from

having students read verses from the Bible. The practice of having students read verses from

the Bible would be unconstitutional.

Possible Solutions

The Leadership Candidate considered possible solutions. The school could choose to

proceed with the presentation and move forward seeking district approval. The school could

determine the issue was too controversial and decide to scrape the plan to include a

comparative religion course. The school and district could decide to gather additional

information and facts before determining the next steps.

Candidate’s Proposed Solution

In the 1960’s the US Supreme Court ruled that leading prayer in public school is

unlawful. However, the court found it constitutional to teach about religion in public schools.

With this awareness, the Leadership Candidate would propose the school and the district work

together to gather facts and information. To gather additional information, teams that include

teachers, students, families, and community members could gather data from schools around

the state that have implemented comparative religious courses. The team should review

curriculum maps, input from instructors and students, and textbooks and materials used. This

information will give the team a clear picture of how schools are providing instruction without

promoting one religion over another. While encouraging innovation and being cutting edge are

admirable qualities, one most consider all data and resources when determining a course of

action. Having adequate data will help all stakeholders address concerns of opponents by

sharing well researched facts. The team should be able to address course information such as

if the course is offered as an elective or required coursework. A spokesperson for the Kentucky

ACLU was quoted as saying, “The concern is that you could have a curriculum that is

constitutional and could be delivered in a manner that is not constitutional” (DA, 2022.) when

discussing a comparative religion class. Teaching comparative religion courses would be an

asset to social studies curriculum by helping students better understand conflicts among

societies both past and present. Developing clear and concise objectives and curriculum maps

will help assure the school and district clearly understand the legal parameters of the class.

The Leadership Candidate would advise the school team to move forward with exploring

adding a comparative religion class. The timeline for making such a change may require that

information be gathered over the course of a complete school year. The candidate believes that

adding this course would require more than a few weeks to fully vet a proposed program.
 References:

District Administration, 2022. Schools are Teaching, Not Preaching,

https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/about/faq/is-it-constitutional-to-teach-about-

religion-in-a-public-

school/#:~:text=Yes.,may%20include%20teaching%20about%20religion.

Freedom Forum Institute, 2022. Is it Constitutional to Teacher About Religion in a Public

School, https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/about/faq/is-it-constitutional-to-teach-

about-religion-in-a-public-

school/#:~:text=Yes.,may%20include%20teaching%20about%20religion.

Lee v. Weisman. (n.d.). Oyez. Retrrieved March 16, 2022 from

https://www.oyer.org/cases/1991/90-1014