Lake Central High students can leave during the school day next year to attend Bible study classes at a Dyer church.
Instead of pondering geometry or Spanish, the students will be bused to Faith Church in Dyer where they will study the Old Testament and possibly learn about the Tower of Babel and Noah’s Ark.
Previously, schools could veto requests from parents to allow their children to leave for religious studies during the school day.
A new law, which takes effect July 1, requires schools to approve such requests from parents.
The measure is becoming popular in red states, like Indiana. Similar bills were considered this year in Nebraska, Ohio and Oklahoma.
Authored by Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer, it passed the House 92-4 and the Senate 34-14 earlier this year.
A previous state law allowed students to leave for up to 120 minutes a week for voluntary religious instruction. The law permitted the instruction to take place during the day as long as it was off school property and private transportation was provided.
Lake Central Superintendent Larry Veracco said Monday he anticipates having some students elect to participate. If that’s the case, he said they would likely schedule a study hall for the time they would be gone.
“It is a law and we feed at the government trough, so we will comply,” he wrote in an email. Veracco said the district had already complied last year when it was optional.
The issue Veracco has is the timing. He said Lake Central High dismisses classes at 2:10 p.m.
“It just seems like this can be done in late afternoon or early evening to avoid the extra student movement,” said Veracco. “I am concerned if it is scheduled toward the end of the day and the students get caught in traffic and miss their bus ride home…”
Faith Church proposed holding its class from about 12:30 to 1:55 p.m. The class is open to grades 9-12 and limited to 60 students.
The new law states when the parent of a public school student makes a written request, the principal shall allow the student to attend a school for religious instruction that is conducted by a church, an association of churches, or an association that is organized for religious instruction and incorporated under Indiana law.
The law limits instruction to 120 minutes a week. The church is advised to work with school officials to come up with the least disruption to the school’s instruction.
The entity or church providing the religious instruction is required to keep attendance records and allow inspection of the records. The instruction may not be supported by public funds.
A local school may also decide to award academic credit to a student in religious instruction, if it adopts a policy.
At Faith Church, the class will be taught by Justin Sommer, director of student ministries at Faith Church in Dyer. He couldn’t be reached for comment.
State Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, who voted against the bill, said he has liability concerns because schools couldn’t require a waiver of liability in the case of a vehicle accident, a fight, a missing student or other mishaps. He said background checks on the religious instruction teachers weren’t required.
“These schools are going to be put in a peculiar and unfair position of having to comply with these requests and to organize staff to deal with these programs during the school day,” said Pol. “This is something that should be occurring on Sunday, not during the school day.”
State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, supported the new law.
“The parent has to request it and they must think there’s a need for it for the child,” said Niemeyer who added the time frame must be worked out with the school.
He said most of the students involved are probably from religious backgrounds, but he said it could also help a single parent who needs spiritual reinforcement for their child.
He said a parent likely wouldn’t want their child taken away from academic studies, if they’re struggling.
“Again it’s the parents’ request,” Niemeyer said. “I don’t think a parent would take a kid out of school if it would hurt them academically.”
State Sen. David Vinzant, D-Hobart, also voted against the bill.
“I’m a firm believer in separation of schools from religious instruction. If introducing religion into schools creates an uncomfortable situation for just one child, that’s one too many,” he said.
Vinzant said many schools have problems with low test scores. “We have seven hours a day with academics,” and he said students shouldn’t lose time away from science, math or English.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
