Nashville, USA - The state Board of Education has approved guidelines on how to teach the Bible in public high schools despite concern the curriculum could be challenged in court.
Legislation approved in 2008 authorized a course for a "nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Bible" in public schools.
State officials said they tried to develop principles that are safe from legal challenge, but some say a state-approved Bible course could violate the separation of church and state.
The course will teach students about the content of the Bible and its historical context. It is an elective, meaning high schools can choose whether to offer it to students as a social studies credit, and students can decide whether to take it.
Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee responded to concerns about the classes by distributing its guide, "Know Your Rights: Religion in Public Schools," to school systems statewide.
"Whether these classes are constitutional depends on who teaches them and how they are taught," said Hedy Weinberg, the state's ACLU director. "The devil is in the details."
Education Board member Richard Ray voted in favor of the standards, but is concerned potential lawsuits could create a distraction for schools.
"We have so much that needs to be done to elevate our kids in math and science, the focus of education should be right there," he said.