BIBLE NEWS: School System Backs Down on Bible Ban

You may have heard last week that a school district in Broward County, FL had forbidden a student from reading his Bible during a free reading time.  Well, after much back and forth, the school district has backed down and reaffirmed a policy that students may read their Bible during reading times.

...on Tuesday, Liberty Institute received a letter from the School Board saying, in part, that the state does not ban the Bible in public schools and that teachers and staff across Broward would be notified of this.

Connecticut wrestles with the Separation of Church and State

Most of the interesting Church/State cases happen in other states, it seems. But now, Connecticut has its own controversy to work through. The city of Enfield had hoped to hold its graduation on the grounds of a nearby church, but the courts have forbidden this on Constitutional grounds.

Enfield school officials voted 5-4 Thursday night against appealing a federal judge's temporary injunction that stopped plans for the town's two high school graduations inside The First Cathedral in Bloomfield.

Vincent McCarthy, a lawyer representing the school district, says he's going to seek a jury trial and plans to fight to allow graduations at the church in the future.

Cheerleaders reprimanded for using Bible Verses

We hear a lot about the "separation of church and state" when it comes to the Bible, but this is the first time I have heard of it being applied to cheerleaders. A squad from Georgia was using warrior-themed Bible-verses to encourage their football team, and now has been advised that use of the verses at a public high school is breaking the law... despite the fact that no one was complaining.

The verses were picked for their gridiron-friendly themes of pluck and pep: from I Corinthians ("Be men of courage; be strong"); from Ezra ("We will support you, so take courage and do it"); from Proverbs ("Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed").

There are a handful of non-Christian kids at LFO High, but for years, no one pointed out any church-state separation issues. Until this season...In a statement, Jackson said she wanted the school to be "protected from potential lawsuits" and wanted to head off "community division."

Supt. Denia Reese said Jackson told her the practice was breaking the law "and it needed to be stopped."

Bible unwelcome at Show and Tell

What happens if the teacher tells a child to bring their favorite book to "show and tell", and it is the Bible. According to the Pennsylvania court, he has to leave it at home.

A kindergartner's mother cannot read Scripture during show and tell, even if the Bible is the boy's favorite book, a U.S. appeals court said Monday.

The Marple Newtown School District in suburban Philadelphia told plaintiff Donna Kay Busch in October 2004 that she could not read the Bible passages during her son's "All About Me" program. The school did permit the boy to discuss a poster that included references to his church as well as his family, pet and best friend.