Distribution of Gideons Bibles in select Texas public schools - ACLU report

[sonias]

From an ACLU newsletter on their latest report.

Read Our Report: The Gideons In Public Schools
Dear Fellow Texan,

Earlier this year the ACLU of Texas received information that the Gideons International were allowed access to public school campuses in an effort to distribute Bibles in some Texas school districts, and we initiated an investigation.

Today, we’re publishing a report on our findings. We encourage you to read it -- you may be surprised by what is going on in your local school district.

According to the report, in one district, students used the Bibles as projectiles and as objects to harass Jewish classmates. Christian students were upset by the defacement of their sacred text, and some parents complained about students being coerced into accepting the Bibles.

In addition to specific details on the districts we investigated, the report includes a number of general recommendations parents, community members and school administrators may use to ensure ALL children’s religious freedom is respected and protected at school.

If you are concerned about Bible distribution in your child's school, we urge you to take action. Take the report to your school’s principal or superintendent, or school board, and urge them to adopt the recommendations. If you believe your child’s rights may have been violated, you may also submit a complaint online to the ACLU of Texas.

Although we will not be able to respond to every complaint we receive, the information you provide will help us monitor the Gideons' practice and identify problem areas around the state.

Read the Full Report
A full report of the distribution of Gideons Bibles in select Texas public school districts during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years is available now.
Download the report

In liberty,
ACLU of Texas

The report is a brief 10 pages

Sonia