It's really not straightforward to teach the Bible class in a public school. Are you teaching it as literal truth and representing it as God's word, or are you teaching about its influence on Western civilization? Those are two different things. And there are numerous Supreme Court cases about the subtitles in schools and separation of church and state.
The biggest issues is whether or not said activity violates the Establishment clause:
School districts may not endorse (or appear to be endorsing) religious activities in school sponsored activities. What that means in practice is that schools may not give special treatment to believers nor special prominence to activities that highlight religion. The Establishment Clause, in other words, is the Constitutional device that prevents public entities like schools from taking sides with the faith-based community.
A 1971 case called Lemon v. Kurtzman remains the leading case on the Establishment Clause and continues to guide the courts in deciding when a school district’s action violates the First Amendment. Courts ask a series of three questions in this order:
Does it have a secular (non-religious) purpose? That question was key in a 1985 potent “moment of silence or voluntary prayer” case. The U.S. Supreme Court sought to determine whether there was a secular purpose behind a state law passed by the Alabama legislature. Looking at the evidence, justices determined that the morning practice was a back-door way of persuading children to pray, and struck the law down. Therefore, at the outset of a case courts ask: Does the challenged activity have a religious (sectarian) purpose or are there sound secular reasons motivating school officials?
Does it advance or inhibit religion? Asking this question gives judges a sense of the neutrality of the practice. Something that advances religion would be a classic Establishment Clause violation. An example would be charging a general fee for a service but exempting religious clubs from the cost. Likewise, inhibiting religion is unconstitutional, and might occur if school districts do the opposite with their fee schedule.
Does it cause excessive entanglement with religion? In short, does the government involvement with a religious activity stretch so deep that it is indistinguishable from the religious nature itself. This question seeks to prevent schools and other activities from doing everything they can to support religion and stopping short of saying it out loud. Cooperation with religious causes and accommodation are both permissible, but entanglement occurs when the Constitution puts a halt to the relationship. An example might be an alternative high school where each week the primary speakers at a mandatory assembly are clergy or religious leaders who talk about morality. Entanglement might be an even greater problem if it is only one denomination that is being preferred.
In the 1984 Lynch v. Donnelly case, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor took the first two Lemon questions and said they amount to an “endorsement test.” Really, she said, courts should look for whether schools are in effect endorsing religion. That view has been influential. While O’Connor’s interpretation does not override Lemon, some courts have adopted her approach in deciding conflicts."
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It's really not straightforward to teach the Bible class in a public school. Are you teaching it as literal truth and representing it as God's word, or are you teaching about its influence on Western civilization? Those are two different things. And there are numerous Supreme Court cases about the subtitles in schools and separation of church and state.
The biggest issues is whether or not said activity violates the Establishment clause:
Here's an excerpt explaining it from this page: http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Public-education/The-law-and-its-influence-on-public-school-districts-An-overview/Religion-and-Public-Schools.html#sthash.PUAzndna.dpuf
School districts may not endorse (or appear to be endorsing) religious activities in school sponsored activities. What that means in practice is that schools may not give special treatment to believers nor special prominence to activities that highlight religion. The Establishment Clause, in other words, is the Constitutional device that prevents public entities like schools from taking sides with the faith-based community.
A 1971 case called Lemon v. Kurtzman remains the leading case on the Establishment Clause and continues to guide the courts in deciding when a school district’s action violates the First Amendment. Courts ask a series of three questions in this order:
Does it have a secular (non-religious) purpose? That question was key in a 1985 potent “moment of silence or voluntary prayer” case. The U.S. Supreme Court sought to determine whether there was a secular purpose behind a state law passed by the Alabama legislature. Looking at the evidence, justices determined that the morning practice was a back-door way of persuading children to pray, and struck the law down. Therefore, at the outset of a case courts ask: Does the challenged activity have a religious (sectarian) purpose or are there sound secular reasons motivating school officials?
Does it advance or inhibit religion? Asking this question gives judges a sense of the neutrality of the practice. Something that advances religion would be a classic Establishment Clause violation. An example would be charging a general fee for a service but exempting religious clubs from the cost. Likewise, inhibiting religion is unconstitutional, and might occur if school districts do the opposite with their fee schedule.
Does it cause excessive entanglement with religion? In short, does the government involvement with a religious activity stretch so deep that it is indistinguishable from the religious nature itself. This question seeks to prevent schools and other activities from doing everything they can to support religion and stopping short of saying it out loud. Cooperation with religious causes and accommodation are both permissible, but entanglement occurs when the Constitution puts a halt to the relationship. An example might be an alternative high school where each week the primary speakers at a mandatory assembly are clergy or religious leaders who talk about morality. Entanglement might be an even greater problem if it is only one denomination that is being preferred.
In the 1984 Lynch v. Donnelly case, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor took the first two Lemon questions and said they amount to an “endorsement test.” Really, she said, courts should look for whether schools are in effect endorsing religion. That view has been influential. While O’Connor’s interpretation does not override Lemon, some courts have adopted her approach in deciding conflicts."
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