BonnerSprings.com

Rep. Owen Donohoe, R-Shawnee, has introduced a bill likely to set off plenty of debate if it ever sees the light of a committee hearing. The so-called Religious Liberty Bill of Rights, HB 2779, Donohoe said in a press release, "aims to provide educators and students the opportunity to exercise their first amendment rights in public schools."

Included in the bill is language that says a teacher has a right to "not be required to teach a topic that violates the teacher's religious beliefs and not be disciplined for refusing to teach the topic."

The bill, if enacted into law, would mean faculty could avoid teaching any fact or subject that they claimed conflicted with their religious beliefs.

The bill also declares that students have an inalienable right to "participate in a private religious ceremony held on a public school campus outside of instructional time."

Donohoe said the impetus for the bill was "nothing specific," but the press release states "teachers and students have expressed concern about their inability to discuss a religious topic in a public school, even for historical or literary purposes."

Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Superintendent Robert Van Maren doesn't think much of Donohoe's bill.

"I see it as a violation of separation of church and state and do not want any of our teachers or our schools to take on any additional tasks, as we already are responsible for far more than we should be, have time for, or for which we receive funding," Van Maren wrote in an e-mail.

"This is a huge can of worms that will be disruptive to our schools and communities and open us and our children up to various government controls and litigation. The parents and churches can facilitate all of these faith-based and family-oriented activities as they see fit for their children. After all, it is a free country."

As of Wednesday, the bill was not yet scheduled for a committee hearing.

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