UC eyeing Bible class legislation
Schools cautious, but optimistic of proposal
By JARED PUTNAM
Union Sentinel Editor

The state of Georgia is prepared to introduce a pair of much talked about literature classes on the Bible into public schools next year, an offering that will likely be accepted by the Union County School System.

"I think it is something that we want to do," Union County School Superintendent Tommy Stephens said. "But we will probably wait until everything is finalized and everything is out there. Until we actually get the curriculum and rules and regulations that go with all this it would be premature for us to even start planning for it. We want to make sure that when we do it, we are prepared to do it in the right way."

The Georgia Legislature made the courses possible when it passed a law last year that authorizes state-funded courses using the Bible, as literature, to be offered as electives in Georgia public schools. In March the state Board of Education voted to adopt the courses, leaving it up to each school district to decide whether or not to offer the classes.

Stephens said that it could happen in Union County Schools as early as the spring semester of 2008, but no timetable is set. He acknowledged that while some systems may come out with it earlier, there are a number of things to attend to before such a change can be made. While that would likely include specific decisions such as which version of the Bible to use in the classes, Stephens said that much of the preparation simply comes down to integrating the class into the curriculum that the school already has.

"You have to interface it with your curriculum as it is now," Stephens said. "Basically, any time you add a course, you have to adjust your total curriculum to accommodate it. We don't want to get in a situation where we have to tax the taxpayers to come up with the money for it. We want to integrate it into our curriculum in a way that won't be an additional expense. That will take some time in itself."

One aspect that likely will not be a problem for Union County High School is finding a teacher for the class. Stephens said that the school already has someone who is willing to teach it. "When the time comes I don't think we will have a problem [with that,]" Stephens said.

Critics have warned that the state is treading into dangerous territory with the decision, though groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have thus far said that they will wait to see how the courses are implemented before considering what, if any, legal action to take. Stephens acknowledged that no one ever wants to be the guinea pig for such a lawsuit, and that he would prefer to see how the process fares in other schools systems first. "It has the potential of having a lot of oversight with it," Stephens said. "The state will have to make sure that whatever curriculum they give us is going to stand up to the law."

Education leaders in Muscogee County, Ga. are currently considering offering the courses, which would make the Columbus area one of the state's first major school systems to adopt the proposal. Their school board is scheduled to vote on the plan during an April 23 meeting.

The Union Sentinel asked Jerry Helton, Pastor of the House of Prayer Interdenominational Church in Blairsville, for his thoughts on the topic. As both a pastor and a former educator at Union County High School, Pastor Helton has a unique perspective from multiple sides of the issue.

The pastor said that he is very excited about the potential of a Bible class being offered in Union County Schools. He feels that this type of step can benefit a culture which many believe has increasingly veered towards a lack of absolutes.

"To try to govern in a moral vacuum has led to chaos. We constantly see that showing itself in breakdowns of society," Pastor Helton said, pointing to the recent massacre at Virginia Tech as an example. "Any exposure to the Bible, whether as history or literature, is a positive, positive step."