RFP Staff
♦ Before a packed and overflowing house at the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education meeting, the Board of Education listened to approximately 75 minutes of public commentary all from persons in strong support of continuing Bible classes at 3 elementary schools, and then spent another 60 minutes in closed session consulting with attorneys. When the school board emerged from closed session, they voted unanimously to approve Chairman Richard Miller’s motion to evaluate and adjust the curriculum to meet constitutional requirements.
Yesterday’s public comment period in support of Bible Classes, the closed session consultation with school attorney’s, and the school board’s eventual unanimous vote was in response to letter sent by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRC) to School Superintendent Dr. Lynn Moody, calling the school district’s elementary Bible classes “flagrantly unconstitutional.” The FFRC, based in Madison, Wisconsin got involved with the Rowan-Salisbury Schools when a “local Complainant” in Rowan County informed them that Bible classes at Cleveland, Woodleaf, and Mt. Ulla elementary schools instructed 3rd graders in “troubled teachings” such as the Bible being literal fact and seven-day creation.
Earlier this week a Freedom from Religion Foundation’s attorney Patrick Eliot said the organization would decide whether or not to proceed with litigation based on the school board’s action. Yesterday the school board voted to evaluate and adjust its curriculum to meet constitutional requirements. This will mean Rowan-Salisbury Schools curriculum department will consult with school attorneys and investigate how other school districts in North Carolina offer Bible classes to ensure their Bible class curriculum is aligned with the U.S. Constitution.
Yesterday somewhere in the vicinity of 25 persons, a mix of pastors, teachers, local elected officials, students and residents from the community spoke on behalf of the Bible classes and their continuation. No representatives from the Freedom from Religion Foundation were present at the meeting.
