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Gideons International wanted to distribute Bibles in schools in Brunswick County, North Carolina.. It looks like it'll happen: but it almost didn't. The school board voted 3-2 to draft a policy allowing "passive distribution" of "religious and non-religious materials." The fear among some board members and the board's lawyer was that if the school allows the Gideons to distribute Bibles, they'll have to allow other groups to distribute non-Christian or even anti-Christian literature. Actually, no. The threshold isn't crossed when you allow one form of religious literature—it's when you allow one form of extra-curricular literature. If you let the Boy Scouts to distribute a promotional leaflet, you have to allow the Gideons to distribute Bibles. Admittedly, there is some legal debate on this, but the principle has been reiterated by courts, the Department of Education, and groups across the political spectrum.

Most of these fights seem to be a case of educators uneducated in the law. But other unnecessary fights seem driven by something else. Take a look at the fight over at Karns Elementary School in Knox County, Tennessee, which has been going for nearly a year. Fifth-grader Luke Whitson and his parents say Principal Cathy Summa prevented him from reading his Bible at recess. Summa says the incident never happened, and launched a $3 million countersuit for libel and slander. Tuesday, the parties finally agreed to a agreement stating that the school "has not and will not have a policy or practice of banning students from reading religious texts at recess," according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. The suits continue, however, and the judge in the case is disappointed.

"Counsel, I'm just really amazed. Something that apparently started as a misunderstanding has escalated into a lawsuit in federal court," he told the lawyers on both sides. If it goes forward, the case will tie "up hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. That is plain senseless," he said.

(We're skipping the "Top Five" today, since it's a bit of a slow news day.)

Education | Soulforce Equality Ride | Homosexuality | Adoption | Church and state | Religious freedom | Politics | Immigration | Dutch immigration film | Franklin Graham on Islam | Violent Christianity | Crime | Alabama church fires | Abuse | Life ethics | Abortion | Missions & ministry | Church life | Uganda church collapse | Meat on St. Patrick's Day | Catholicism | Da Vinci Code | Books | Entertainment and media | Ford boycott | Templeton Prize | Other stories of interest

Education :

1. Yes to Bible at school recess | Lawsuits of parents and principal at Karns Elementary remain unsettled (Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn.)
   
   
2. Distribution of religious materials debated | Tuesday's Brunswick County Board of Education meeting began with a request from a citizen to consider allowing groups to distribute Bibles in the schools and ended with the board voting 3-2 to direct staff to draft a policy allowing "passive distribution" of "religious and non-religious materials (The Brunswick Beacon, N.C.)
   
   
3. Also: Battle over Bibles splits school board | A Christian group may soon get the go-ahead from the board of education to hand out scripture to middle school and high school students in Brunswick County (The State Port Pilot, Southport, NC)
   
   
4. Board okays opt-in for sex ed | Some members want to push for abstinence-only education requirement (Lawrence Journal-World, Kan.)
   
   
5. Rival science standards emerge in evolution debate | School districts looking for science standards now have a choice. They can turn to State Board of Education standards that criticize evolution, or the product of a science standards committee that adheres to mainstream science (Lawrence Journal-World, Kan.)
   
   

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March (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50