79R17084 JLZ-D
By: Janek S.R. No. 880
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, For nearly 2,000 years, the Bible has been a
cornerstone in the development of Western civilization, permeating
nearly all aspects of our culture, manifesting itself most notably
in our literature, music, art, drama, and philosophy; and
WHEREAS, Biblical references abound in the works of Western
literature, including those of William Shakespeare and John Milton,
and allusions to biblical themes and characters have been used
effectively by writers as diverse as Dante Alighieri and William
Faulkner; and
WHEREAS, Because the Bible was, for a long time, part of a
common heritage shared by our forebears, great leaders of the past,
including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther
King, Jr., could inspire entire generations by sprinkling their
speeches liberally with biblical references; and
WHEREAS, Indeed, the English language itself is so filled
with biblical vocabulary, themes, and terms that it cannot be fully
understood and appreciated by individuals unfamiliar with the
Bible, depriving them of much of the richness of the language; and
WHEREAS, A recent report on Bible literacy, which included
findings from a Gallup Poll survey on American teenagers' knowledge
of the Bible, found that American high school students are
deficient in their academic knowledge of the Bible and that this
deficiency is limiting their ability to study literature and to
understand art, music, history, and culture; and
WHEREAS, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Tom Clark, in the 1963
case Abington v. Schempp, wrote, "[it] might well be said that one's
education is not complete without a study of comparative religion
or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement
of civilization [and] that the Bible is worthy of study for its
literary and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here
indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when
presented objectively as part of a secular program of education,
may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment"; and
WHEREAS, In 1999, in a document entitled The Bible & Public
Schools: A First Amendment Guide, 20 widely diverse groups,
including the American Federation of Teachers, the National
Education Association, and the National Association of School
Boards, as well as major Christian, Jewish, and Muslim
organizations, agreed that the Bible can and should be taught in
public schools; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, Gallup Polls over the years have
consistently shown that more than two-thirds of the American public
believe the Bible should be taught in public schools as part of the
literature and social studies curricula; and
WHEREAS, Section 28.002(f), Education Code, allows a school
district to offer courses for local credit in addition to those in
the required curriculum, and, according to the National Council on
Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, 49 school districts already
offer elective Bible classes in their curricula; Section 28.002(f)
also requires the State Board of Education to be flexible in
approving a course for credit toward the state's high school
graduation requirements; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 79th Texas Legislature
hereby declare its intent that the State of Texas lead the nation in
understanding what students need to know about the Bible, in
building that knowledge into standards and curricula, in testing
for that knowledge, and in working with publishers to develop
appropriate curricula and textbooks; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education be directed to
incorporate these goals in its long-range planning and that the
board and the Texas Education Agency be directed to (1) develop
standards for Biblical knowledge at appropriate grade levels so
that students can fully understand Western and American
civilization, including its history, music, art, literature,
culture, legal system, form of government, major events, and the
English language itself; and (2) build these standards into the
required curriculum as essential knowledge and skills; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education be directed to
add to the list of approved courses for credit toward graduation
requirements an elective course on the Bible and its influence on
America, consistent with academic study as interpreted by the U.S.
Supreme Court and the national consensus evident in The Bible &
Public Schools: A First Amendment Guide; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education be directed to
work with textbook publishers toward the development and subsequent
selection of appropriate textbooks and supplemental materials;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education and the Texas
Education Agency be directed to develop specific and detailed
recommendations for implementation of this resolution, including
an aggressive but realistic implementation schedule, and that they
be further directed to work with the Texas Legislature to determine
whether specific legislation may be required to achieve the goals
of this resolution; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an intent of this resolution be to encourage
districts, teachers, school staff, the media, and other interested
parties to build an understanding and consensus as to the
importance of teaching about the Bible in the public schools of this
state; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the secretary of the Texas Senate forward
official copies of this resolution to the commissioner of education
and to the chair of the State Board of Education.