The Culver Community Schools Corporation is a step closer to letting students take religious education classes for credit. Last year, the Indiana General Assembly approved an update to state law that lets public secondary schools award academic credit for religious instruction offered by a church or similar organization, if the school board adopts a policy allowing it.
Such a policy was approved by the Culver School Board Monday, according to Superintendent Karen Shuman. “We are now going to look at sending a survey out to our community to determine what grade levels they would like that or even if they would like religious education being offered, for the students to be released,” Shuman says.
The updated law requires that classes be evaluated on “purely secular criteria” and that academic credit does not involve any test for religious content or denominational affiliation. Shuman previously said that school officials are working with local churches to develop a potential program.
