Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale Template

Caitlin Hallam

Part 1: Case Analysis

1. Brief summary of the case:

Laurel Palm Middle School was looking to update their curriculum to include new
innovative studies for students. One of the parents of a student suggested that religious
studies be included in the new curriculum. This parent, Ms. Beckel, decided to share the
news of the interest in the religious studies curriculum with her neighbor. Even though
the two had long been friends, Ms. Wright was not supportive of the idea of using
religion in the school, especially not if it included using the Bible or any religious texts.
As Ms. Beckel, the principal, Ms. Avery, and a classroom teacher, Ms. Kassidy, “arrived
at school board meeting” and were met with “Ms. Wright, who was waving a large sign
that read, ‘Save our children. Separate church from state. Save the Constitution’”
(Hanson, 2009). Ms. Wright is not in support of the religious curriculum proposal, but
Ms. Beckel, the principal, and a classroom teacher want to continue to propose this to the
school board for further approval.

2. Identify the issues to be resolved:

Ms. Beckel, Ms. Kassidy, and Ms. Avery need to get community members and parents of
students on board with their decision to include religious studies into their curriculum.
They also need it to be approved by the school board before they can make their final
decisions.

3. Stakeholders involved in the issues:

The stakeholders involved in this issue are community members, students, parents, school
board, administrative members including the instructional coach, and the superintendent.

4. One or two existing laws or court rulings that relate to the issues:
In the Abington School District v. Schempp court case, the Supreme Court ruled that
“requiring public-school students to participate in classroom exercises involving daily
Bible verse reading violating the religious freedom of students under the First and
Fourteenth Amendments” (Bill of Rights, n.d.). This court case essentially told school
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 districts that religious studies cannot include Bible verse reading. The judges determined
that the practice of the Abington School District “violated the Establishment Clause and
the Free Exercise Clause” (Bill of Rights, n.d.). The U.S. Department of Education also
states, “Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about
religion” (US Department, 2020).

5. District policies that relate to the issues:

The Horry County School District states, “Materials selected for the district should be
those depicting the openness of opportunity in American society” which means that it
must represent “all social groups” including religion (Horry County, 2021). The school
district would have to teach curriculum that could apply to all religions but first, the
curriculum textbooks would have to be “approved by the Superintendent” and “presented
to the Board” (Horry County, 2021).

6. Possible solutions to the issues:

Rather than creating a religious studies curriculum, they could teach about all of the
different types of religions and their subgroups. This could be done in a World History
class that covers the religions of the world, as well as other interesting history that made
the world the way it is. The school could create an elective class called “World
Religions” that teaches strictly about the religions of the world. A religious club could
meet after school. Students can run them with an advisor who would oversee meetings
and events. This would allow for any and all religions to be represented without forcing
students to participate in the clubs while allowing them to express their own religious
beliefs.

7. The solution you choose to resolve the issues:

I think the best option would be the World History class. Parents would agree that
students should learn about the history of the world. Students would enjoy learning about
history throughout time and all over the world. This would be a way for Ms. Kassidy to
teach about religion, Ms. Beckel would enjoy knowing students have to look at religious
materials to learn about religions, and Ms. Wright would like to know students do not
study the Bible, or Koran, or any other religious work.

8. Action steps (2-5) for implementing your solution, including a timeline for each step:
Step 1: Day 1: Propose the idea of a World History class to other teachers
Step 2: Day 2: After teacher approval and interest, this should be proposed to the school
board and community members at an open meeting to gather thoughts and ideas
Step 3: Day 3: This may be a few days or weeks later, but the idea should be proposed to
the superintendent to vote on

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 Step 4: Day 4: Once the approval has been given for the World History class, the class
will be announced to parents and students
Step 5: Day 5: After the class has been put into the curriculum, students will be allowed
to register beginning the next full year school year.

9. Potential moral and legal consequences of the solution:

Community members may still think the class is too religious. Parents may not want their
children to learn about certain religions in different lights. For example, parents may not
support the idea of their child learning about the different groups that came out of
religions, like the Taliban stemming from extreme Islamic views. However, this is part of
world history that is still shaping the way Islam is viewed and perceived in different
regions of the world. These could be potential moral consequences. Teachers may use
their own biases when teaching religion, whether it is intentional or not, during the units
of World History. The teacher and school also have to be careful how they phrase
information as to not “endorsing a religion” as determined by the court case Wallace v.
Jaffree (Bill of Rights, n.d.).

Part 2: Rationale

Religion in schools always has been and probably always will be a controversial topic. It
has to be explained in a way that does not offend anyone or favor any particular religion over
another. In this case study, it is no different. Ms. Beckel is in support of teaching religious
studies and incorporating it into the curriculum for the following year. She has the support of the
principal and another teacher. While I would personally agree with Ms. Beckel that a religious
study class should be allowed, it would cause a lot of uproar in the community. I am not
surprised that Ms. Wright did not like the idea nor was she in support of a long-time friend
bringing this curricular decision to light. There are more community members than just Ms.
Wright who probably feel the same way as her and do not want religious studies to be
incorporated into the curriculum and implemented into the schools the following year.

In order to appeal to both sides of this religious debate, I would make it a point to state
that the school is going to be teaching about religion, not teaching religion. This means that the
teachers would not be telling students how to feel about certain religions or what religious words
to believe, nor the holidays they should observe. The middle school has been known to be
“innovative, supportive” and place where “new ideas are encouraged” (Hanson, 2009). While the
school’s vision and mission are to be “innovative” and “supportive”, they also have to follow the
same laws and policies as other schools in the country, their school district, and Dayton. While
appealing to both sides of this argument, I would propose that a World History curriculum be
created.

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 The innovative curriculum would include teaching about the history of regions
throughout the world and different periods of time. In this class, the teacher would teach students
about religion. In doing this, the teacher would promote diversity and equity by teaching about
religions that are practiced throughout the world. This does not mean that the teacher will read
passages from the Bible and make students practice exactly what it says. This means that the
teacher will explain the main religions of the world, the subgroups of each type, the differences
and similarities between religions and their subgroups. For example, it would show students that
the school is not favoring any religion over another, as they are teaching about religion is a
democratic way showing equal appreciation of all religions.

The World History class would also ensure that students’ needs are being met and that
they are still going to be “identified by the state as one of the top 10 performing schools”
(Hanson, 2009). The students would be learning about economics, geography, climate, religion,
cultures, languages, and more about different regions of the world. This would be a direct
promotion of social justice for students. It might encourage more students to join the class and
participate in discussions in other classes if they are given more background knowledge of
different world history aspects. While religious aspects of the World History class would be
important, it is a history class, so more than religion needs to be taught. Students must learn
about how the regions of the world became what they look like today in terms of everything
previously stated. This would be a relatable class for the middle school’s
“multicultural student body” (Hanson, 2009).

When the World History class would be proposed to the committees, superintendent,
community members, other stakeholders, and student body, it would be important to go over the
expectations that the school has in implementing this into the curriculum. Parents could be
invited to present information or artifacts that they have from different world regions or even
various time periods. This would allow for collaboration to happen between parents and students
which would help encourage even more learning and exploration of world history. It is also part
of the middle school’s mission to “invite parents to play an active role” (Hanson, 2009). The
World History class could even hold a presentation where students discuss different countries or
regions located throughout the world and include the place’s beliefs, traditions, cultures,
economics, and religion. This would create a moment for community members to learn about the
teachings of the class and it would help them develop more of a trust of the school’s teachings
and expectations that students are learning world history, not just religious beliefs.

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 References

Bill of Rights Institute. (n.d.). Religious liberty: landmark supreme court cases - bill of rights
institute. https://billofrightsinstitute.org/e-lessons/religious-liberty.

Hanson, K. L. (2009). Case 13 The Bible and Ms. Wright. In A casebook for school leaders:
Linking the ISLLC standards to effective practice (3rd ed.). essay,
Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall. 

Horry County School District. (2021). District

policies. https://www.horrycountyschools.net/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?
moduleinstanceid=30654&dataid=71557&FileName=Instruction%2021-22.pdf.
US Department of Education. (2020). Guidance on constitutionally protected prayer and
religious expression in public elementary and secondary
schools.  https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/religionandschools/prayer_guidance.html.

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