A class on the Bible will soon be offered at Chesterfield County (Va.) high schools. There was enough interest from principals at county high schools about a class on the Bible to get the ball rolling, but the class might not be available at every school. Not because of the Bible, but because of the bottom line.

If a course on the Bible is to be taught at a county high school, the principal will have to pay for it out of their existing budget. They’ll also have to find a teacher willing to lead the class, and have at least 15 students signed up to take it. But in taking the Bible from the church rooms to the school rooms…can you teach the book, without pushing the religion behind it?

That’s something Kent Willis of the American Civil Liberties Union will be watching closely. “Teaching of the Bible as literature is not illegal in high schools, but the ACLU is wary of it,” says Willis. “It’s very difficult to take a book like this that means so much in terms of religion to so many people, and teach it in a way that’s not religious.”

According to Shawn Smith, spokesperson for the Chesterfield County Public School system, administrators will have to find an academically and legally approved curriculum to do so. “There are very clear legal restrictions and that’s why it would involve an English or Social Studies teacher, which would mean it would be taught from a literary or historical perspective. It would not be a religious course.”
Reaction from county residents is mixed. Chris Starnes is a recent Thomas Dale graduate. “I don’t think you should teach religion in schools, because if they’re going to do that they need to have it for all religions.” That’s different from the view of mother Susan Bach. “I think that they’re allowed to study anything else electively, so if that’s the choice of a child or parent…and i think parents should ultimately help in that decision…then that’s a great elective.”