Bible Literacy Class Unconstitutional?

This is not directly related to quizzing, but something we thought Bible Quizzers would find interesting. Apparently, a school in Texas has decided to bring into its curriculum a "Bible Literacy" course, to help its students have a better understanding of the book and its historical context. Well, now several groups are attacking the school system for allegedly violating the separation of church and state.

Odessa school officials say they are walking a narrow path to ensure the proposed course meets educational and constitutional requirements.
"This will be an academic elective on biblical literacy, not a devotional," said Odessa Superintendent Wendell Sollis. "We have no intention of proselytizing. ... You really have to educate people about what you can and can't do."...
"There's an awful lot of people in this town convinced that they're going to get Jesus taught in the classroom, a tool for evangelism. And that concerns people like me," said David Newman, an English professor at Odessa College who opposes the new Bible course. He is Jewish.

When I was in high school (back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth) there was a "Bible as Literature" course. I did not take it, but the kids who did found the course challenging and not "religious" at all. Rather, it gave those without a religious background an understanding of the basic characters and stories that served them well in studying ancient literature, art, and great speeches. Here is hoping that the critics take an honest look at the course, and can conclude that understanding the Bible is central to understanding Western History.