The Kentucky Bible Literacy Act

The “Bible literacy” classes offered in a half-dozen Kentucky school districts actively promote Christianity to students, which is unconstitutional, rather than neutrally teaching about the Bible’s historical and cultural role in society, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky says.

The ACLU sent a letter Friday to the Kentucky Department of Education, urging it to remind every school district about the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.

“It is inappropriate and unconstitutional to use public school educational courses to teach the Bible as truth or from a religious perspective, or to use such courses to disparage other faiths,” ACLU attorneys Amy Cubbage and Heather Gatnarek wrote in the letter.

Among the conflicts cited by the ACLU:

▪ “Letcher County’s Bible electives was: ‘What are some promises in the Bible that God gives everyone who believes in him?’ High school students in that class are also assigned to ‘Do your best to build close relationships with other Christians ... .’” The worksheet used for this assignment appears to have originated with a Christian publisher, which is not an appropriate source of teaching materials for a public school, the ACLU said.

▪ “A worksheet on the Book of Proverbs in McCracken County asks students, ‘How are the virtues praised by the Book of Proverbs important character traits for society today?’ Students in the same class were encouraged to turn to the Book of Philippians to learn how to treat anxiety.”

▪ “Students in Barren County, after visiting the South Central Kentucky Cultural Center, are assigned to write to a family member and encourage them to visit the Cultural Center as well: ‘Devote your writings to an item or items of interest in the religious exhibit relating to faith and religious heritage. Discuss why the reader needs to appreciate this.’”

Brian Harper, superintendent of McCracken County schools, said he’s confident his teachers aren’t crossing any lines they shouldn’t. McCracken County has 62 students enrolled in two Bible literacy classes, Harper said.

“They (the ACLU) criticized us for having students memorize Bible passages,” Harper said. “Well, in other classes, we call on students to memorize poetry. That’s one way you teach.”

By comparison, Fayette and Jefferson county public schools offer world religion courses that appropriately use the Bible as one reference work without teaching it as divine scripture, Gatnarek said in an interview Tuesday. But those courses also teach about other religions, not just Christianity, she said.