Spencer Daily Reporter: Local News: Spencer's religious liberty policy timeline presented (07/23/09)

Having already heard they're in "uncharted territory" with the task at hand, Spencer school board members still appear up for the challenge of developing a religious liberty policy for staff and students. A timeline delivered to them this week -- which includes addressing any local concerns with feedback sessions scheduled in -- has put the dream of two board members who crafted the district's initial draft policy in motion.

Superintendent Greg Ebeling supplied the timeline,below during the monthly board meeting held Tuesday night.

"We're going to get the legal requirements and so on to create a new draft. So, we'll work through that," he said of the public process outlined. "Once we have that new draft in place, we'll have those community, teacher and student focus groups to get some more feedback about the (newly-drafted) policy and see if it's making sense. But again, it has to meet legal muster, so we're not going to be challenged on anything that we're potentially doing that wouldn't stand up (in a court of law)."

District Attorney Steve Avery offered his professional opinion on the matter during a July 8 meeting. Besides stating the public school district cannot promote one school of thought or one secular belief, he also said it cannot prevent an individual from expressing his or her religious beliefs. As Avery informed the Spencer school board that it could adopt a policy on a religious program, course or materials, he did warn, "But it needs to be very broad brush," further suggesting that it cover many religions, multiple versions of the Bible and possibly throw in a chapter on evolution to balance it out.

Religious Liberty Policy Development Timeline

August	Board members and administrators to work on new draft policy with legal guidance -- Free guidance has been offered by the Iowa Family Policy, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.	Community focus group to review new draft policy and offer feedback
Sept. 2 at 4 p.m.	Teacher focus group to review new draft policy and offer feedback during lunch
Sept. 3	High school student focus group to review new draft policy and offer feedback
Sept. 8	Present draft at School Improvement Advisory Committee for feedback
Sept. 7-15	Review feedback from focus groups and make revisions to policy
Sept. 24	Focus groups subcommittee to review policy for final draft
Oct. 27	First reading of new policy
Nov. 24	Final reading of new policy

I hope someone will submit the comments from the Daily Reporter's related articles for consideration by the community focus group.

-- Posted by communicate on Thu, Jul 23, 2009, at 7:55 AM

Why is it the taxpayer's responsibility to teach kids religion? It belongs in the home. I see this proposal as just an attempt to cause trouble by christians because they are feeling so maligned these days with their political party lost in the woods. Though I'll never understand why christians like the war mongering, charity hating, "money above all else" party.

Anyway, I predict this course will happen, then over a short period of time it'll be 95% christian teachings, get challenged in court and ordered to be modified. At which time it will be abandoned by the christians that started it as protest against the gov't telling them how to run their religious teachings.

In the meantime, while it's still in effect, it'll create confrontation, hard feelings, hate and distrust btwn students, students and the preacher/teacher, parents and the school. How do I know this? Easy, the world history of religion documents these over and over and over.

-- Posted by helped_myself on Sat, Jul 25, 2009, at 2:50 PM

Marx said Religion is the opiate of the masses. If it's that powerful, it ought to be studied in school. It is studied in college, but lots of kids miss out on that.

I support a class that compares religions and looks at their impact on world history (Crusades, Divine Right of Kings, Holocaust, etc). I oppose teaching that Jesus Saves or anything similar to that.

-- Posted by Bumpercrop on Sun, Aug 2, 2009, at 3:48 PM

Hey MSinSpencer, helped_myself was talking about the republican party hating charity not christians. He said he couldn't understand why christians supported them! Maybe you need to go back to school and learn some reading comprehension and stop wearing your religion on your sleeve!

-- Posted by HergerSeamas on Thu, Aug 6, 2009, at 7:52 AM