Nampa, USA - The Idaho Attorney General's office has told officials at a charter school the state won't back down from pursuing information about the school's possible use of the Bible and other religious texts.
Nampa Classical Academy is defying an order from the Idaho Public Charter School Commission to turn over the data. An Arizona-based religious liberty group that is defending the school threatened in a letter to sue the commission if it continues to seek the information.
The school drew attention last summer when school officials said they planned to use the Bible as a primary source of teaching material, but not to teach religion. The commission told the academy it couldn't use the Bible as an instructional text.
Charter Commission chairman Bill Goesling said the use of religious texts would likely lead to the revocation of the school's charter.
The Alliance Defense Fund said the school doesn't have to hand over anything because of a federal lawsuit it filed in September against the state concerning the school's plan to use the Bible.
The group said in the letter that it is considering a second lawsuit against the state to determine whether the school is operating within the boundaries of state law.
But deputy attorney general Mike Gilmore told school officials in an e-mail that the commission and its program manager, Tamara Baysinger, will continue to seek the information from the school.