Charter school commission reviews Bible use
BOISE (AP) — The Idaho Public Charter School Commission is reviewing whether the Bible and other religious texts used in the classroom for historical purposes should be first approved by the state.
The review comes after the founders of a public charter school in southwest Idaho, Nampa Classical Academy, spoke publicly about plans to include the Bible as a primary source of teaching material.
The Bible, which will be introduced in the ninth grade when students delve into the history of Western civilization, will be taught for its literary and historic qualities and as part of a secular education program.
"The question is, because it is a text, does it have to go through the state Department of Education for approval," said Bill Goesling, the commission chairman.
Idaho lawmakers passed a law allowing charters a decade ago, joining a wave of states that embraced the movement to create new, more autonomous public schools.
More than 30 of these schools in Idaho have been created by teachers, parents and community members and enroll about 10,000 students statewide. They are funded with state money but given more flexibility in how they operate.
Nampa Classical Academy, which will become the third-largest public charter school in Idaho when it opens this fall with more than 550 students, prompted the commission to consider the use of religious texts in the classroom after its founders spoke publicly about including the Bible as a source of teaching material, Goesling said.
"From our point of view, it had never been reviewed," he said.
The school's curriculum is grounded in grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy.
Academy founder Isaac Moffett said the Bible is one of many historical religious texts from which students will read. Others include the Quran and the writings of Confucius.
"One of the aspects of a charter school is to be autonomous and make the decisions at the local level, such as the curriculum they use," Moffett said. "If a charter school cannot have its own curriculum, why have a charter school?"
The Idaho law requiring charter schools to report finances and comply with "the general education laws of the state" also exempts them from most of the rules governing traditional school districts, Moffett said.
The state requires charter schools to play by the same rules in areas such as teacher certification, accreditation, student attendance and criminal background checks for school employees.
But the law allows charter schools total control when developing curricula, Moffett said.
"If this code is not correct, it affects every single charter school and what they use," he said. "The implications are huge."
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 1963 ruling that banned ceremonial school Bible readings, said "the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities" so long as material is "presented objectively as part of a secular program of education."
Public schools across the country have traditionally avoided Bible courses and the potential controversy, but hundreds do offer voluntary classes to students.
Students at the Nampa academy will read from a New International Version Bible that includes footnotes denoting cultural and archeology discoveries and, when studying literature, from the King James version of the Bible.
Idaho school districts are not prohibited from using the Bible as part of literature or history courses, according to the state Department of Education.
At a meeting Wednesday, the commission directed staff to review the legality of using the Bible in charter schools. Results of that review are scheduled for discussion at a charter school commission meeting in September, Moffett said.
The review comes after the founders of a public charter school in southwest Idaho, Nampa Classical Academy, spoke publicly about plans to include the Bible as a primary source of teaching material.
The Bible, which will be introduced in the ninth grade when students delve into the history of Western civilization, will be taught for its literary and historic qualities and as part of a secular education program.
"The question is, because it is a text, does it have to go through the state Department of Education for approval," said Bill Goesling, the commission chairman.
Idaho lawmakers passed a law allowing charters a decade ago, joining a wave of states that embraced the movement to create new, more autonomous public schools.
More than 30 of these schools in Idaho have been created by teachers, parents and community members and enroll about 10,000 students statewide. They are funded with state money but given more flexibility in how they operate.
Nampa Classical Academy, which will become the third-largest public charter school in Idaho when it opens this fall with more than 550 students, prompted the commission to consider the use of religious texts in the classroom after its founders spoke publicly about including the Bible as a source of teaching material, Goesling said.
"From our point of view, it had never been reviewed," he said.
The school's curriculum is grounded in grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy.
Academy founder Isaac Moffett said the Bible is one of many historical religious texts from which students will read. Others include the Quran and the writings of Confucius.
"One of the aspects of a charter school is to be autonomous and make the decisions at the local level, such as the curriculum they use," Moffett said. "If a charter school cannot have its own curriculum, why have a charter school?"
The Idaho law requiring charter schools to report finances and comply with "the general education laws of the state" also exempts them from most of the rules governing traditional school districts, Moffett said.
The state requires charter schools to play by the same rules in areas such as teacher certification, accreditation, student attendance and criminal background checks for school employees.
But the law allows charter schools total control when developing curricula, Moffett said.
"If this code is not correct, it affects every single charter school and what they use," he said. "The implications are huge."
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 1963 ruling that banned ceremonial school Bible readings, said "the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities" so long as material is "presented objectively as part of a secular program of education."
Public schools across the country have traditionally avoided Bible courses and the potential controversy, but hundreds do offer voluntary classes to students.
Students at the Nampa academy will read from a New International Version Bible that includes footnotes denoting cultural and archeology discoveries and, when studying literature, from the King James version of the Bible.
Idaho school districts are not prohibited from using the Bible as part of literature or history courses, according to the state Department of Education.
At a meeting Wednesday, the commission directed staff to review the legality of using the Bible in charter schools. Results of that review are scheduled for discussion at a charter school commission meeting in September, Moffett said.
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