The Tennessee Board of Education has approved guidelines on how to teach the Bible in public high schools even though there’s concern the curriculum could be challenged in court. The guidelines approved this week are in response to 2008 legislation, which authorized the state to create a course for a ‘‘nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Bible.’’

State officials said they tried to develop principles that are safe from legal challenge. But some say a state-approved Bible course could violate church and state separation, depending on who is teaching it.

Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee responded to concerns about religious activities in state public schools by sending out its guide — ‘‘Know Your Rights: Religion in Public Schools’’ — to schools systems across the state.

Hedy Weinberg, the state’s ACLU director, told The Tennessean that the state seemed sensitive to concerns that the classes could be used to try to convert individuals. However, there are few details on how the classes will be run.

‘‘Whether these classes are constitutional depends on who teaches them and how they are taught,’’ she said. ‘‘The devil is in the details.’’