District weighs Bible class

The Huntington Beach Union High School District wants to bring the question of a “Bible as Literature” course into high schools to a possible decision at its next meeting. But many board trustees expressed little interest in letting it get any further than that.

Board members voted 3-2 Tuesday to bring the issue back for discussion as an “action item” — which would allow for a vote whether or not to mandate one or more schools offer the class, which some residents and students have been pushing for in recent years.

The Tuesday meeting was listed as an information session only.

Still, several students and other community members came to speak on the issue.

Marina High School student Christian Mayberry said he thought an English class on the King James Bible would give him a better understanding of literature.

“I sometimes have a hard time understanding some of the stories, some of the background,” he said. “I think this would help things like Shakespeare — that seems like a different time and mind-set. The course helps us get a background and setting for different sorts of literature and artwork.”

Board member Matthew Harper had been bringing up the issue for more than a year, but did not receive a necessary second vote to discuss the class until earlier this month.

Some board members said they were uncomfortable with a class that taught only the Bible — whether as literature or otherwise — and feared the possibility of lawsuits.

Most of them said they also didn’t like voting on elective courses at all, and that it was the job of a curriculum committee and the individual schools to decide on their optional courses.

“I have concerns on taking any stand on an elective,” said member Susan Henry.

“We would be approached for anything that anyone wanted in a classroom. I continue to have an issue in even discussing electives at a high school.”

The committee has rejected the idea of a course that studies the Bible at least twice because of lack of interest among the schools, Asst. Supt. of Educational Services Carol Osbrink said.

Officials said the board hadn’t mandated an elective in decades at least.

But Harper said he was worried the committee might be out of touch with the community, and said the board should consider stepping in sometimes.

“How much do we want to defer something that clearly the state of California empowers us with?” he asked. “How much do we want to defer those decisions to an unelected body that hasn’t been approved by the elected board?”

WHAT: Next school board meeting

WHEN: 7:30 p.m., July 22

WHERE: 5832 Bolsa Ave., Huntington Beach