FHS off-campus Bible elective class gets Board-Ed nod
KNOXVILLE — Without any opposition based on its vote Thursday evening, March 7, Knox County Board of Education approved a Bible study class, which allows Farragut High School students to take the off-campus course — for one full elective credit — during school hours in accordance with state law.
Anchor Learning Center has the green light to provide the class — to be held in at Faith Promise Church, 144 West End Ave. in Farragut — for five years beginning July 1. The class would be offered during a designated class period set by FHS.
“I mean, this is more of a parental rights issue, honestly, because it’s allowed by state law that students can take advantage of this,” said Susan Horn, District 5 representative (which includes Farragut public schools) during a Board workshop Monday evening, March 4, that included discussion about the class’s course requirements. “And so I think we have to be really careful of trying to dictate or get too deep into what the content is as far as the specifics because that’s really protected under the state law, the way I read it, and I think we have to be sure that we’re evaluating it as we would any other course.”
“I would agree with that,” said Board chair Betsy Henderson, District 6 representative (which includes Hardin Valley schools).
Though voting to allow the class among seven in favor March 7 — District 1 rep, the Rev. John Butler “passed” and District 4 rep Katherine Bike was absent — District 2 rep Jennifer Owen requested further course evaluations during the March 4 workshop.
In response to Horn, Owen said, “I’m not asking for additional pieces to be evaluated. I know how our other curriculum is evaluated. That’s been explained to us multiple times. I don’t know how this is being evaluated.
“And so, I would like to know that so that can be part of my decision on whether to approve this or not,” she added. “In our policy, that’s what’s supposed to happen, and in the law that’s what’s supposed to happen. So I would like our administration to provide for us information regarding how it has been evaluated so that we can also evaluate it with those criteria.”
