During the next month, Kentuckians are being asked to offer their thoughts on proposed academic standards for bible literacy courses taught in public high schools.
The final standards are expected to be in place for elective classes to be offered during the next school year.
Kentucky lawmakers enacted a bill during the 2017 session that requires state education officials to set guidelines for local schools that choose to offer such courses.
Academic Standards Coordinator in the State Department of Education Kyle Lee says the Bible Literacy Standards Development Committee could make revisions, based on public feedback. The state board will review the standards in early 2018.
Lee says, once the standards are finalized, school councils can choose to offer the courses.
“Standards kind of serve as the minimum requirement of what to teach and how that gets translated into curriculum is a local decision,” noted Lee.
Lee says the bill language specifies that schools may not endorse, favor, promote, disfavor or show hostility to any particular religion or non-religious faith or perspective. He says the committee is bound by that when it designs the final standards.
