2270 - RELIGION IN THE CURRICULUM

Mt. Pleasant Public Schools

Bylaws & Policies

The Board of Education recognizes the mandates of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution together with the laws regarding the advancement and inhibition of religion in the Public Schools. Thus, with respect to instruction and/or activities having religious content, it is the policy of the Mt. Pleasant School District to only allow instruction and/or activities in the school which reflect the following:

	A.	The activity must have a secular purpose.
	B.	Its principal or primary effect must be one that neither advances or inhibits religion.
	C.	The practice or activity must not foster an excessive entanglement with religion.

Any religious content in any instruction and/or activity is to be presented objectively as part of a secular program of eduction. The following guidelines apply to school programs and classroom activities:

	A.	Religious heritages and their histories, arts, symbols, and tenets may properly be included within a program of religiously neutral education. Such studies must be objective in nature and directly related to the broader educational purposes in the various fields of study.
	B.	At no time will any form of religious belief or position denying or objecting to belief be advanced or disparaged, nor shall any form of religious indoctrination or exercise, including prayers, be conducted by the School District or its employees. The Baccalaureate service is traditionally religious in nature and must be sponsored by agencies separate from the School District.
	C.	The historical and contemporary significance and the symbols and origins of religious holidays may be studied within the guidelines of this policy.
	D.	Music, art, literature, and drama related to religious holidays may be studied and performed in programs and classroom activities if they are presented in an objective and neutral manner as a tradition of the cultural heritage of the particular holiday. Such programs and classroom activities should be part of a curricular unit clearly not favoring one religion over another and should be educationally defensible.
	E.	In response to class questions and assignments, students are free to initiate expressions of religious belief or nonbelief through compositions, art forms, music, speech, and debate.
	F.	Student groups sponsored by the District will not perform as part of a religious worship service.
	G.	Teachers shall receive a copy of this policy annually. In order to prevent misinterpretation of Board policy, teachers who work with children to prepare school or classroom programs or activities involving religious content, (i.e., references to deities, sacred writing, music and art) will meet with their building principal prior to the time students are involved. The purpose of this meeting is to place such school programs in appropriate instructional context and to establish a mutual dialogue for selecting, planning, and designing these programs. In the event that the teacher and principal are unable to reach agreement, either party may refer the matter to the Superintendent.
	H.	A statement of purpose will be distributed at school programs and performances that include material of religious origin. The form of such a statement should be substantially the following: "This (program/performance) is presented for the purpose of helping students and the public become aware of, understand, and appreciate human culture, history and religious diversity. By including these materials, the School District does not endorse any form of religious belief or nonbelief, nor does it intend to disparage any such beliefs.

M. C. L. A. 380.1174, 380.1282
U.S. Constitutional Amendment 1