Friday, May 22, 2009

Parents Battle Over Bibles "Offered" To Students In Frisco Public Schools

Updated Friday May 22, 2009 at 9:34AM - From the Dallas Morning News:
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas has launched an investigation into the distribution of religious materials in the Frisco ISD as well as the Marshall, Plano, Westwood (Palestine), Wichita Falls and Wylie (Abilene) districts. This follows the Bible hand-out by Gideons International at Frisco secondary schools last week.

Lisa Graybill, the ACLU of Texas' legal director said, "What we are looking at is excessive entanglement and coercion. . . When a school invites them into the classroom and allows them to walk down the aisles, they are endorsing rather than just making the material available."
Is the ACLU of Texas' going far enough in its investigation? Religious instruction in Texas public schools is not limited to school districts allowing organizations to "offer" Bibles to student in the schools.

According to a report (PDF Full/Summary) released in February by the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) some Texas schools mix religious instruction and Bible study in their sex education programs. From the TFN Report Summary:
"Far too often in Texas, public schools betray the trust of families by forcing religious instruction with which they may not agree on students in their sexuality education. According to materials returned for this report, 9.5 percent of Texas secondary school districts include inappropriate religious content in their sexuality education instruction.

Consider a handout used by one district entitled: “Things to look for in a mate.”
How they relate to God (page 44 of the full report)
  1. Is Jesus their first love?
  2. Trying to impress people or serve God?
Another district turned over a series of what appear to be student handouts that lay out a scriptural case for abstinence from sexual activity. (page 41-42 of the full report)
Question: “What does the Bible say about sex before marriage / premarital sex?”

Answer: Along with all other kinds of sexual immorality, sex before marriage / premarital sex is repeatedly condemned in Scripture (Acts 15:20; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:13,18; 7:2; 10:8; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Jude 7).
See previous posting: Obama's 2010 Budget Eliminates Federal Funding For Abstinence-Only Sex Ed

Originally posted Saturday May 16, 2009 - Gideon volunteers have visited Frisco school campuses to "offer" Bibles to students as part Frisco ISD's policy that permits the religious group in Frisco schools. Frisco ISD policy says non-school literature is allowed as long as it doesn't "attack ethnic, religious or racial groups, interfere with school activities or the rights of others." Read the full story at the Dallas Morning News.

No comments:

Post a Comment