Texas schools don't have to offer Bible class, attorney general says

[antigop]

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/869613.html

Tarrant area teens aren’t that interested in studying the Bible as a high school class, despite the statewide debate over whether the Old and New Testaments should be taught as cultural and literary texts in public schools.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott ruled Thursday that school districts are not required to offer the course if fewer than 15 students sign up.

That has been the case in the Mansfield school district.

Mansfield High School has included "Religious Literature" as an elective offering in its course catalog for two years. But the class has never attracted the required 15 students. Students from the district’s other three high schools could take the course, too, if they provided their own transportation to the Mansfield High School campus.

There were still too few takers.

Arlington, Keller, Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Northwest school district officials have also cited lack of the required 15-student minimum as the reason they are not currently offering a Bible class. Northwest does have one under development to be offered through the history department.

[w8liftinglady]

1. there has been a HUGE debate on this in my area...

caller on a talk show yesterday
"I have no problem teaching the bible as history in Public School..it has many lessons for youth"
Host:How about teaching the Koran?
"no"
"Why not?"
"Because I don't believe that as true"
"Then,aren't we obligated to extend the same courtesies to those who don't believe the Bible is true?"
"well...I still think they should teach the bible"

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. "well...I still think..."

No. No you don't, sir.:D

[tanyev]

3. Oh, that's interesting.

The ABC affiliate here did a story this week about Lake Dallas High School's bible class and they claimed that it is "one of their most popular classes".


LAKE DALLAS — Reading, writing and arithmetic are part of the basic curriculum for students at Lake Dallas High School. But this fall there's something new: religion.

The Denton County district is one of the first in North Texas to offer a Bible class after the state Board of Education signed off on the idea earlier this summer.

Other area districts considered and dismissed a similar course of study, recognizing the potential to polarize some parents and students.

But the Lake Dallas ISD elected to go forward with the class, one of only a few at a public school in Texas, and administrators say it's one of their most popular classes.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/wfaa080827_wz_bibleclass.192beb07.html#

[antigop]

4. hmmmmm.........."one of their most popular classes"

What's their definition of "popular"?