For a second year running, Florida legislators have filed a bill that would make our state the first in the nation to require all public high schools to offer elective courses on the Old and New Testaments. (John Solie/istock) For a second year running, Florida legislators have filed a bill that would make our state the first in the nation to require all public high schools to offer elective courses on the Old and New Testaments. If enacted, the legislation — HB 341 and SB 746 — will divide schools along religious lines, unnecessarily expose all school districts to costly lawsuits, and create an unfunded mandate. David Barkey (Courtesy photo) Florida law already permits school districts to offer “… a secular program of education including, but not limited to, an objective study of the Bible and of religion,” but apparently that is inadequate for the bill’s sponsors. Their legislation mandates that all public high schools offer three elective courses: one on the Old Testament, also referred to in the bill as the Hebrew Scriptures, another on the New Testament, and a third on both. By mandating multiple courses about the Christian Bible, the legislation sends a clear message of […]
