Panel Considers Teaching About Religions

Rushing in where most school districts fear to tread, the school district is considering adopting a resolution in support of teaching students about religion in its nine schools.

Although the proposed policy in essence reiterates guidelines recently adopted by the California Board of Education, a resolution will make it a recognized priority within the Moorpark Unified School District.

Specifically, the proposed measure states that students should learn of the “importance of morality and religion in human history.” It also would direct the district superintendent to review and recommend any new supplemental curriculum related to citizenship and religion.

The resolution states: “Adequate education in American citizenship must include instruction about religions, their significance in history, their sources in culture, their moral and ethical constructs and their living examples among students, teachers, staff, administrators and citizens of our community.”

The resolution is being sponsored by school board member David Pollock, who said he felt the need to let parents and teachers know that schools are not meant to be godless institutions devoid of moral teachings or information on religion.

Not particularly religious himself, Pollock said he nonetheless wants parents to know that the school district is interested in students’ moral development. And Pollock said the district should also let teachers know that they have a certain amount of leeway in discussing religion in school.

“Some people bristle at anything related to religion in schools, but I hope they don’t in this case,” Pollock said. “It’s very easy to step on people’s sensitivities, but I think religion--it’s role in history--is extremely important and needs to be taught.”

While the policy is meant to be an amplification of existing policy, it has already been called a nonstarter by at least one school district critic.

Ted Green, a former school board candidate and Baptist deacon at a church in Simi Valley, said the resolution is a bad idea.

“They shouldn’t even be touching this,” said Green, who has criticized the district for everything from proposed sex education classes to how district money is spent. “Isn’t that what the whole separation between church and state is about? If they’re planning on teaching religion, they’re going to find themselves in court in a real hurry.”

Although board member Clint Harper said teaching about religion in school is necessary on a certain level, he said a vague resolution about using information about religion to develop moral principals in students was a bad idea.

“I agree with Ted in that I don’t think it’s appropriate for board members to be lecturing about religion,” said Harper, an espoused agnostic. “It’s an issue I’d rather stay out of, but so long as it doesn’t become dogma and is truly teaching about religion’s role in society, I could support it.”

Board member Greg Barker, who teaches social studies at Thousand Oaks High School, said schools can’t shy away from discussing religion.

“There are ways that public schools are already dealing with religion,” Barker said. “If I were teaching about India after World War II, I couldn’t discuss it without discussing the differences between Hindus and Muslims prior to the separation of the country.”

But the resolution states that more than just religion’s importance in history should be discussed. It states that information on religion be used in developing principles of morality and citizenship.

It comes close to a similar measure introduced in the fall by Moorpark school board member Tom Baldwin, who wanted the district to set down guidelines for religious expression.

Although based on existing law, Baldwin’s proposal failed to get support from the rest of the school board because it set specific guidelines, which reaffirmed a student’s right to say grace before meals on campus, or pray at school.

Board member Gary Cabriales, who supported Baldwin’s proposal, said the resolution could help dispel the notion that public schools are anti-religious.

“Most people know what can and cannot be taught,” Cabriales said. “But some people look at schools as being anti-religious. They believe schools can’t do anything religious, and that is not the case.”

Cabriales points to an informal prayer group of students, teachers and school personnel that meets during the lunch hour at the city’s high school as an example of appropriate religious expression at school.

The proposed resolution, “Supporting Education for Citizenship and About Religion in a Diverse Society,” will be discussed at a school board meeting scheduled for Feb. 27.