The curious case of Nampa Classical Academy and the Bible

It has been almost a year since the Nampa Classical Academy charter school obtained approval from the Idaho Public Charter School Commission to move forward with establishing the school and accepting enrollments.

On June 29, however, just a few months before the school was to open, the Idaho Statesman reported that the academy would offer the Bible as a textbook, which created a lot of confusion and controversy, additional news articles, and a series of discussion threads across the Humanist of Idaho, Idaho Atheists, and Boise Atheist, Non-Theist, and Humanist Social discussion groups.

Part of the confusion was due to the fact that the initial announcement that the school would offer the Bible as a text book was not clear in specifying to what extent the Bible would be used. Would it be taught as part of an overall curriculum on Western History from a secular standpoint? Would it be taught as a standalone class from a secular or religious perspective? Additionally, as the Statesman article noted, when the academy was approved last year by the Idaho Public Charter School Commission, the Bible was apparently not mentioned. As the Statesman quoted from Bill Goesling, chairman of the Commission:

"I don't remember it coming up. Had it been known, I think we would have spent a little bit more time on it," Goesling said. "If it's being used as a whole class, and it becomes a Bible study, than we are going to have a problem."

All this seems to have resulted in suspicion that the school was attempting to slide something by that violated Idaho's Constitution in light of teaching the Bible in public schools. At the outset, this is all understandable. According to the Boise Weekly's July 8 article on the academy, their curriculum will be a modified version (for the public) of the curriculum used by Hillsdale Academy, a private Christian prep school in Michigan. Then you have the statement from Isaac Moffett, the founder of the academy, recommending that all teachers read the book, Classical Education: The Movement Sweeping America, by Andrew Kern and Gene Edward Veith. According to the Boise Weekly, Kern "once worked at Boise's Foundations Academy Christian School and now runs the Circe Institute, a Christian classical education consultancy based in North Carolina." And probably not so coincidentally, Kern is who the academy brought to Boise to training its staff. Additionally, Gene Edward Veith has apparently written a variety of books centered around society and Christianity. According to the Capital Research Center, the publisher:

"In Classical Education, the authors examine six different approaches elementary and secondary schools use to tie the "3 Rs" to the moral and civic education of the Western tradition. They include Christian Classicism, which is advocated by the Association of Classical and Christian Schools; Democratic Classicism, which has been adopted by over 100 public schools; Moral Classicism, which is based on the idea that education is a path to virtue; and Liberating Classicism, Marva Collins' program for minority children in poor neighborhoods that emphasizes phonics and character education."

Furthermore, the classical school movement that the Nampa Classical Academy is leveraging was apparently started in the 1980s in Moscow, Idaho, with Logos School, affiliated with Christ Church.

Consequently, all this circumstantial evidence piles up and reinforces this sense of suspicion from proactive supporters of the separation of state and church. Will Nampa Classical Academy say one thing but do something different in the classroom? But Moffett assures us that all Christian elements will be remove from the originally Christian-centric curriculum they are borrowing. And Idaho's 2News reports that "The Pubic Charter School Commission office has reviewed Nampa Classical Academy's intended use of the Bible and other religious texts and determined it to be appropriate, just as it would be in any other public school...". Yet, the proof that the academy will not say one thing and do another will be when classes start and we are able to collect feedback from students and families.

Finally, as recently communicated by Boise's Idaho Atheist group, the Idaho Public Charter School Commission is holding its next meeting on July 22 at 700 W. State Street, Boise, ID, in the West Conference Room, at 9:00 a.m, where part of the agenda will include a pre-opening update on the Nampa Classical Academy. To find out how to submit materials to the meeting, visit this website: http://www.chartercommission.id.gov/info.asp#materials