With the calendar changing to July, new laws are going into effect across the country. One is hitting religion head-on, allowing Bible literacy courses in public schools.
Kentucky state house passed the bill in February that instructed the state's Board of Education to set policies for those local school districts that have chosen to offer electives that study the Bible, the Associated Press reported.
The state senate passed the bill in March. The governor signed it in April.
Opponents said that offering the elective class, goes against the principles of separation of church and state, the AP reported.
The optional class according to the AP, will have a curriculum set by the Kentucky Board of Education and will teach students about the present by looking at the past using, "biblical content, characters, poetry and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture."
The American Civil Liberties Union told WDRB that it will be keeping an eye on how classes are being taught, saying that while Bible literacy may not be unconstitutional, it depends on how the classes are put into use and will review that teachers are teaching the Bible from a literacy perspective and not preaching.
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