1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA | | | 2| 2nd Session of the 52nd Legislature (2010) | | | 3|HOUSE BILL 2321 By: Johnson | | | 4| | | | 5| | | | 6| AS INTRODUCED | | | 7| An Act relating to schools; directing the State Board | | of Education to adopt curriculum standards for | 8| certain academic study of the Bible courses; | | specifying standards meet certain requirements; | 9| providing for implementation of the course by public | | school districts; requiring personnel to meet | 10| certification requirements; prohibiting assignment of | | personnel based on certain beliefs or affiliation; | 11| establishing conditions for teaching the course; | | directing the State Textbook Committee to incorporate | 12| certain conditions when evaluating textbooks; | | providing for codification; and providing an | 13| effective date. | | | 14| | | | 15| | | | 16|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: | | | 17| SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified | | | 18|in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 11-103.11 of Title 70, unless | | | 19|there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: | | | 20| A. The State Board of Education shall adopt curricular | | | 21|standards for an elective course or courses that may be offered to | | | 22|students in the public schools of this state consisting of a | | | 23|nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Bible and its | | | 24|influence on literature, art, music, culture and politics. The | | | Req. No. 9032 Page 1 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|curriculum standards shall meet the academic rigor and standards of | | | 2|other elective courses approved by the Board and shall meet the | | | 3|requirements of the Constitutions of the United States and the State | | | 4|of Oklahoma. | | | 5| B. A public school district that elects to offer an academic | | | 6|study of the Bible course shall implement the course in accordance | | | 7|with the Constitutions of the United States and the State of | | | 8|Oklahoma, including the manner in which the course is taught in the | | | 9|classroom and the assignment of school district personnel teaching | | | 10|the course. Personnel assigned to teach the course shall meet all | | | 11|certification requirements. In addition, no person shall be | | | 12|assigned to teach the course based in whole or in part on any | | | 13|religious test, profession of faith or lack of faith, prior or | | | 14|present religious affiliation or lack of affiliation, or criteria | | | 15|involving particular beliefs or lack of beliefs about the Bible. | | | 16| C. An academic study of the Bible course offered by a public | | | 17|school district shall: | | | 18| 1. Be taught in an objective and nondevotional manner with no | | | 19|attempt made to indoctrinate students as to either the truth or | | | 20|falsity of the biblical materials or texts from other religious or | | | 21|cultural traditions; | | | 22| 2. Not include teaching of religious doctrine or sectarian | | | 23|interpretation of the Bible or of texts from other religious or | | | 24|cultural traditions; and | | | Req. No. 9032 Page 2 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| 3. Not disparage or encourage a commitment to a set of | | | 2|religious beliefs. | | | 3| D. When adopting textbooks for academic study of the Bible | | | 4|courses, the State Textbook Committee shall incorporate the | | | 5|conditions set forth in this section into the criteria used to | | | 6|evaluate textbooks for the courses. | | | 7| SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2010. | | | 8| | | | 9| 52-2-9032 AM 12/29/09 | | | 10| | | | 11| | | | 12| | | | 13| | | | 14| | | | 15| | | | 16| | | | 17| | | | 18| | | | 19| | | | 20| | | | 21| | | | 22| | | | 23| | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 9032 Page 3©2008-09 eCapitol, LLC. All rights reserved.
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