After a Florida elementary school boy was told to put his Bible away during independent reading time the school has agreed, in early May, that the Bible is an acceptable book for free reading time.
Jeremiah Dys, an attorney who represented the child’s family, said: ‘We are pleased they are now complying with the law and will allow students to read their Bible during free reading time and within the Accelerated Reader programme’.
When the incident occurred, the student was told to put his Bible away and dial his parents’ phone number. The teacher proceeded to leave a message for the student’s father saying: ‘I noticed that he has a book, a religious book, in the classroom. He’s not permitted to read those books in my classroom’.
The school district disagreed with the teacher’s decision to ban the Bible. A lawyer for the school district wrote: ‘With regard to the Accelerated Reader programme (AR), if a book is on the AR list (including books of the Bible), a student is free to read such books during AR reading time’.
Dys said that the Liberty Institute is unsure if the teacher will receive a warning or punishment from the school district.
