(WHAS11)-Kentucky’s Department of Education may soon be developing lesson plans that include Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament from the Bible.
“We took the Bible out of the school but we put nothing back,” says Sen. Julian Carroll.
Carroll is joined by his colleague David Boswell in wanting public school students to learn life skills and values they say are found in the Bible.
The course would be an elective and the curriculum would be written by the State Department of Education.
Nearly 20 other states offer similar courses and the Kentucky legislation will be modeled after a current law in Texas, which is praised by some lawmakers.
“Until we put God back in our households, things in society will not change or get better,” says Sen. Elizabeth Tori.
But comments like that made some lawmakers a bit uneasy and they coined the phrase “Let’s teach it, not preach it.”
“You have done a commendable job of putting forth the framework of making this a scholarly academic offering, not a religious experience. I’m concerned we couldn’t get out of committee without preaching,” said Sen. Tim Shaughnessey.
But what it did get out of the committee was a unanimous vote.
“I commend you on finding a mechanism that’s not offensive. It provides, I think, very little opportunity for those who may oppose this legislation to cry foul,” said Sen. David Givens.
The safeguard of teaching and not preaching may come down to the teachers.
Sen. Boswell says, “If an educator crosses that line then they stand the chance of losing their teaching certificate or other penalties.”
And it may be the threat of penalties and the way the curriculum is written that keeps this subject out of Kentucky’s classrooms.
Next this bill moves to the state senate, then to the house.
