The State : Biology Pupil Given a Choice

A San Bernardino County high school student who refused to dissect a frog in biology class because of her religion will be allowed to perform other work to improve her grade, the school’s attorney said. The Victor Valley Union High School District in Victorville will inform Jenifer Graham that she may do other course work to improve the C grade she received in her sophomore biology class last year, said Joseph Arias, the district’s lawyer. Jenifer, now a 16-year-old junior, filed a federal suit against the district after it rejected her offer to perform alternative work. She claimed the dissection requirement violated her belief that killing animals harms “the God in everything.” Jodi Clary, one of Jenifer’s lawyers, said Jenifer would accept an offer that would allow her a chance to raise her grade.