Board will vote whether Farragut students can leave to take Christian class
The Knox County school board is weighing whether to allow students at Farragut High School to receive elective credit for a course in Bible studies.
A school board policy, amended last year in accordance with Tennessee law, allows students to leave during the school day for religious courses. If the new class is approved, Anchor Learning Center would be eligible to provide services for students for five years as of July 1.
Under the proposed agreement, the course would be offered during a designated class period set by the high school.
Board member Susan Horn, who represents Farragut High School, made a pitch to approve the course, citing the existing board policy and making a case for parent choice.
"This is more of a parents rights issue honestly," Horn said, "because it's allowed by state law that students can take advantage of this. I think we have to be really careful of trying to dictate or get really deep into what the content is."
Board chair Betsy Henderson agreed.
Board member Jennifer Owen sought more clarity about the curriculum from district administrators before voting March 7. Board member Daniel Watson expressed concerns about the listed provider.
The proposal lists attorney Michael Shope as the president of Anchor Learning Center.
If approved, the course will be taught at Faith Promise Church at 144 West End Ave. in Farragut. The center will lease space with the church for the course, Shope told Knox News.
The course for Farragut High School students is modeled after one already being taught in Campbell county at the Campbell County Christian Learning Center.
The board is set to vote at its 5 p.m. meeting March 7 at 500 W. Summit Hill Drive.
What curriculum will be taught in the Bible studies course?
The course provider will use gospel foundations and the Bible as textbooks. The learning objectives, as listed in the proposal, are:
To introduce to students to a chronological study of the Bible.
To teach students that the Bible is a historical document and is true, trustworthy and transformational.
To help students understand that, according to the Bible, God created the universe and mankind.
To enable students to know the basic historical facts of the Old Testament leading up to the New Testament gospel accounts.
To lead students to see the wondrous nature and character of God revealed through his interaction with mankind in biblical history and through his son, Jesus Christ.
To equip students with practical steps to develop a biblical worldview and defend what they believe.
To help students understand how their beliefs impact their personal lives, others and their future.
How did we get here?
Last year, Tennessee lawmakers amended a law to change the amount of credit allowed for a release-time course from half credit to one whole elective credit if the local district adopts a policy that would allow it.
Following the legislature's lead, in July 2023 Knox County school board leaders voted 7-1 to allow high school students to receive one full credit in religious courses taken outside of school during their normal instruction time. Owen was the lone member to vote against the policy then and Katherine Bike was not present for that meeting.
This marks the first time since then that the board is considering approval of such a course.
Prior to last year's change, students could take half a credit in courses during release time.
State law does not specify if it's limited to one credit per year or one credit overall throughout high school, Knox County Deputy Law Director Gary Dupler told the school board last year when the policy was adopted.
"The way I read it, it's going to depend on the course," Dupler said then. If the course is approved for one semester, then that's that, but it could also be a yearlong course.
"The state law itself is not specific," he said then.
How are religious courses evaluated before approval?
To decide whether one elective credit may be awarded for a religious course, it has to be evaluated "neutrally, without any test for religious content or denominational affiliation," according to the policy.
The criteria used to evaluate such courses includes looking at the syllabus, instructors' methods of assessment and whether the teacher is state-certified.
The staff has already evaluated to ensure the course proposed has "substantial" guidance and clarity on textbooks it will use and how students will be graded, Assistant Superintendent of Academics Keith Wilson said.
"Do we feel like this course is substantial, worthy of credit? We're trying to review it through a secular lens," Wilson said.
Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AreenaArora.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County school board to vote on Farragut Christian course
