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June 29, 2001/Tamuz 8, 5761, Vol. 53, No.39
Door opened to Bible clubs in Deer Valley
JOSHUA ROSE
Special to Jewish News
The Deer Valley School District moved a step closer to allowing the presence of student-led Bible clubs at the middle-school level after a parent-led committee on religion in the public schools submitted recommendations to the district's board of directors June 12.
The pending recommendations involve where meetings can take place, how they can be advertised, who can participate and liability issues.
Paving the way for the appearance of the new clubs is the recent landmark decision handed down by the Supreme Court.
The Court's 6-3 ruling in Good News Club v. Milford Central School is seen by many as a threat to the separation of church and state. The ruling in this case deals with outside organizations accessing public school classrooms after school hours.
So far, the issue at hand with the Deer Valley School District isn't the presence of outside groups; rather, the presence of student-led organizations is the cause for concern.
In Justice David Souter's dissent, he mentions the Good News Club's activities, including dividing groups into "saved" and "unsaved" children. Justice Souter determined that such a group is not merely discussing religion as a subject but is "calling children to commit themselves in an act of Christian conversion."
Closer to home, the Deer Valley district's Religion in the Public Schools Committee was originally organized by the superintendent to heighten sensitivity to the discussion of religious topics in the classroom and curriculum. However, the group saw their mission and identity change when superintendent Bill Hill added a group of parents to the committee who had been upset by a recent board ruling limiting Bible club access at Desert Sky Middle School.
The new group of parents "took the committee, which was given an opportunity to write guidelines for teachers to be sensitive to religious diversity, and turned it into an opportunity for Bible-thumping and bully pulpit," said Michelle Steinberg, an original member of the committee, a parent in the district and the executive director for Kids Voting America.
"The district allowed (the parents) to shove their agenda into the district using this committee as a vehicle," she added.
The committee was created more than a year ago when Steinberg voiced concern to the district over her daughter's participation in a choir event that involved sacred and devotional Christian hymns. It was only recently that the district added supporters of the Bible club activities.
"I was disappointed because the district reconfigured the committee's make-up and changed its function in the middle of the game," said Steinberg.
The committee offered its recommendation to the school board in a meeting June 12. However, district policy is such that issues may not become policy until they are read three times before the board. If approved, the new policies will make it much easier for student-led, student-initiated clubs to find their way to middle-school campuses.
According to district spokesperson Timothy Tait, the district believes that such openness may lead to more than just Bible clubs. He said they make a distinction between curricular and non-curricular clubs. Such a distinction would place religious groups in the latter category, along with anything else that does not directly support the curriculum in elementary and middle schools.
"For non-curricular clubs there will be a guideline of limitations that will include a fair-use charge, designations that fliers may be posted on one bulletin board only and a requirement for liability coverage," said Tait. "Our job is to protect the kids in our community. This isn't just an issue about Bible clubs, it's about a sound policy decision that works for all."
State Senator Scott Bundgaard (R-Glendale), who also serves on the Religion in Public Schools Committee and has been a strong advocate for the Bible clubs, was unavailable for comment.
Those close to the Arizona case see the clubs as entree for outside groups to get into the schools and cast doubt on the "student-led" designation.
"I question how much they are student-initiated or initiated by others," said Rabbi Robert Kravitz, executive director of the American Jewish Committee area office.
According to Steinberg, who has worked with similar issues (and how they relate to public schools) for years, there appears to be a strengthening of the forces that support such groups as the Bible clubs.
"I think there is a difference in the political climate now ... things seem to be leaning in the direction of being more tolerant to issues that seem to be breaking down the first amendment," said Steinberg. "Religious agendas are finding ways into public schools and I think it's a concentrated, organized effort."
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