Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale

Keisha Thompson

Grand Canyon University

EAD-505-0501 Education Law

Instructor: Reid Amones

June 14, 2023

Religious Expression Case Analysis and Rationale

In Case 13, a parent on the school cite committee at a successful middle school requested

that they offer a course in religious studies into its curriculum because other schools in the state

were also doing so. The faculty at the school supported this initiative, so they started preparing

the curriculum for submission to the school board. The parent, experienced severe opposition

against the program after informing a friend about recent communications about it at the school.

After speaking of her disapproval, the neighbor turned up at the institution's board meeting along

with the press. This caught the principal and others off guard.

The issues to be resolved are 1. How is the institution going to handle the protesters. 2.

What should be addressed regarding the religious studies curriculum and 3. Decide, based on the

laws of the state, whether to continue with the plan for a religious studies program.

The stakeholders involved in this issue are the principal, committee members, teachers,

parents, and sometimes students and the state’s legal department. According to a decision by the

Supreme Court, if a subject is taught about religion or the Bible is used in the classroom but is

not a component of religious worship, it may be included in any curriculum. According to

Simonds, (1996), “The Supreme Court clearly affirmed this position in Stone vs. Graham, when

it stated that "the Bible may constitutionally be used in an appropriate study of history,

civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like."

Adopting the written policies that govern the district and determining their efficacy are

under the purview of the Board of Education. Several districts have implemented rules that

permit the academic study of religion as a component of a full course of instruction. With the use

of these regulations, teachers hope to provide students a deeper understanding of various

religions, their doctrines, customs, and historical significance. Usually, the emphasis is on

imparting religious knowledge in a fair and impartial manner without endorsing or disfavoring

any one faith.

The school needs to take charge of the matter and assure the public that they are abiding

by the law to guarantee the course is delivered properly given the news media has become

engaged in this problem. Having a public forum where the community can assess the curriculum

and make sure it complies with the Administrative Guides would be an excellent place to start.

Additionally, it will be crucial for the institution to demonstrate the measures they have

implemented to train their faculty and oversee the curriculum. If the appropriate requirements are

being fulfilled, the law is going to endorse the teaching of this course.

The solution I choose is that the institution is within its rights to continue with the course

offering. It is legal to offer religious studies in public educational institutions if it doesn't

encourage one religion over another. Teachers should also be supervised and assessed in bringing

the curriculum across in the way it should, to guarantee they present the subject in the

appropriate context and not exploiting it to advance religious ideas, evidence should be given

regarding the training the teachers have received.

A plan of action should be put into place to prevent further strife and ensure that all

stakeholders embrace this approach. The principal holding a public meeting and inviting

everyone to debate the matter would undoubtedly be the first step. The teachers who will oversee

instructing the subject will create a scope and sequence defining the subjects that will be covered

during the year prior to the meeting. Also invited to attend and speak in support of the course

will be the other schools in the district that already adopted the program. The next step would be

to hold a question-and-answer session after the meeting to promote dialogue and reach an
agreement that will foster the success of all children in the school within 1 week, Teacher

Training- 4 weeks and monitoring teachers which will be done periodically.

In life, not all people will agree with everything a school does, some will still take

offense. Teachers and the school must treat the subject matter objectively; they can be compelled

to teach about different religions. They must be impartial and not restrict their support to

educational programs with a Christian focus. A secure method of confirming that all regulations

are being observed is also key.

Many school districts would want to steer clear of the controversial topic of Bible

instruction in public schools. However, there have been some schools that have effectively dealt

with this issue, and there have also been set legal precedents that we can utilize as a guide.

The Bible and Ms. Wright case, I'd encourage the school to proceed in an extremely

transparent manner, letting the community and stakeholders see the curriculum before they are

implemented. The community should also be made aware of the teacher preparation programs

being used as well as the ongoing audits by outside parties that guarantee the program is running

according to state policies. Given that the Bible is discussed in an ethical, literary, philosophical,

or historical context, the school is entirely within its legal rights to offer this course if they deem

that students are interested in it. Discussions can be had, so the community can contribute

significantly to the development of the program.

The community must be reassured by Laurel Palm Middle School that according to the

law, teaching about religion in schools is acceptable if it presents all major world religions fairly

and does not favor anyone. Teaching religious studies will help every student recognize the

diversity of others and advance a culture of trust within the school, which is consistent with the

school's mission and vision. The school must be made to realize that members of the court have
urged that public schools educate the Bible as literature, incorporate lectures on the history of

religion and religious institutions, or give courses on comparative religion.

References:

Essex, N. L. (2016). School Law and the Public Schools: A practical Guide for Educational

Leaders (6th ed.). N.p.: Pearson Education, Inc. 

Pew Research Center (2019), Religion in the public schools. Retrieved from

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/10/03/religion-in-the-public-schools-2019-update/

Religion in the Curriculum (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-

strategies/religion-curriculum

Simonds, R. L. (1996). Teaching the bible in public schools? Retrieved from

https://www.icr.org/article/teaching-bible-public-schools/