Moral Leadership

Moreno vs. Ector County Independent School District Board of Trustees

Article Reference

Moreno vs. Ector County Independent School District Board of Trustees. (2007, May16).

American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved April 12, 2008 from

http://www.aclu.org/religion/schools/296831lgl20070516.html

Summary of Key Points

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (2007), the Ector County Independent School District Board of Trustees authorized the teaching of the Bible course in public high schools, which promoted a particular religious viewpoint to public school students in a manner prohibited by the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Ector County Independent School District adopted the Bible course with the primary purpose of generally advancing religion and interpreting the Bible within the public high schools (ACLU, 2007).

Mrs. Moreno and the other plaintiffs in this case believes religious education should be the responsibility of parents and religious communities, and not the public schools to which she sends her children (ACLU, 2007). Additionally, Mrs. Moreno and the other plaintiffs’ feels the use of their tax dollars to promote and endorse religion in the public school system is unconstitutional (ACLU, 2007).

The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools was adopted by the Ector County Independent School District to implement their curriculum within the high schools. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (2007), the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools presents its own particular viewpoints and conclusions regarding important issues of biblical interpretation and authorship as though they were the only possible correct viewpoints.

Moreover, the Ector County Independent School District denied public access to parents and the media to view course materials of the The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (ACLU, 2007).

As a result, American Civil Liberties Union (2007) reported that The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools course materials fails the legal requirements of religious neutrality and objectivity in at least four fundamental ways and they are as follows:

. The Course presents the Bible from the perspective of Christianity in general and

a particular interpretation of Protestant Christianity specifically.

. The Course teaches the Bible as literal, historical truth.

. The Course uses the Bible to inculcate religious life lessons.

. The Course presents a religious interpretation of American history that does not

comport with objective scholarly standards.

The Bible course repeatedly advocates a one-sided and unchallenged view of the role of religion in America and it sends a message to students that America’s Constitution and laws were intended to promote particular religious values and interpretations (ACLU, 2007). On the whole, the Bible course skewed and factually flawed treatment of American History which further reveals that the operating principle of the Course is not neutral or objective, as constitutionally required, but rather the dogmatic promotion of a particular religious viewpoint (ACLU, 2007).

Reflection

It is my opinion that in order for children to dissimilate laws within society, we should incorporate Bible courses in the public schools. I feel public schools should make a conscious effort to teach about religion, but without engaging in devotional practices