Alabama Bill Would Allow Religion Classes Off Campus

February 27, 2012

A bill in Alabama would allow churches or ministries to teach a religion class to public school students off campus if parents and school boards gave permission and the churches were responsible for transportation and any expenses, the Religion News Service reports. Republican Rep. Blaine Galliher introduced the bill at the request of Joseph Kennedy, 84, who was fired in 1980 after he refused to stop reading the Bible or teaching creationism at a public school. Under the plan, high school students could go off campus to study creationism and earn an elective credit. Kennedy said he wanted to "give students good, sound scientific reasons to support their faith in the seven-day creation." Kennedy said he and supporters had formed a board of directors for a new Institute for Biblical Studies, which would offer a creationism class if the law were passed.