A House panel on Tuesday endorsed a proposal that would require public schools to teach classes about the Bible if enough students ask.
House Bill 1626 by Rep. Joe Cloud, R-Russellville, would mandate that a school offer an "academic study of the Bible" if at least 15 students request it.
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State law already allows schools to offer the class as an elective, but does not require it. The class should consist of a "nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Bible and its influence on literature, art, music, culture, and politics," the law states.
The measure passed the committee on a split voice vote with two audible dissenters.
-- Hunter Field