What do the courts say about the Bible in the public-school curriculum?
The Supreme Court has held that public schools may teach students about the Bible as long as such teaching is “presented objectively as part of a secular program of education.” The cases are Abington School Dist. v. Schempp (1963) and Stone v. Graham (1980). The Court has also held, in McCollum v. Board of Education in 1948, that religious groups may not teach religious courses on school premises during the school day. Guidelines produced by the U.S. Department of Education in 1995, “Religious Expression in Public Schools,” reiterate that public schools “may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture” (emphasis in original Aug. 10, 1995, letter by Sec. Richard Riley). In keeping with the First Amendment’s mandate of government neutrality toward religion, any study of religion in a public school must be educational, not devotional.
The Supreme Court has held that public schools may teach students about the Bible as long as such teaching is “presented objectively as part of a secular program of education.” The cases are Abington School Dist. v. Schempp (1963) and Stone v. Graham (1980). The Court has also held, in McCollum v. Board of Education in 1948, that religious groups may not teach religious courses on school premises during the school day. Guidelines produced by the U.S. Department of Education in 1995, “Religious Expression in Public Schools,” reiterate that public schools “may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture” (emphasis in original Aug. 10, 1995, letter by Sec. Richard Riley). In keeping with the First Amendment’s mandate of government neutrality toward religion, any study of religion in a public school must be educational, not devotional.
The Supreme Court has held that public schools may teach students about the Bible as long as such teaching is “presented objectively as part of a secular program of education.” The cases are Abington School Dist. v. Schempp (1963) and Stone v. Graham (1980). The Court has also held, in McCollum v. Board of Education in 1948, that religious groups may not teach religious courses on school premises during the school day. Guidelines produced by the U.S. Department of Education in 1995, “Religious Expression in Public Schools,” reiterate that public schools “may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture” (emphasis in original Aug. 10, 1995, letter by Sec. Richard Riley). In keeping with the First Amendment’s mandate of government neutrality toward religion, any study of religion in a public school must be educational, not devotional. This principle holds true whether teaching about the Bible occurs in literature, history or
