The Senate Education Committee got their first look at a bill Monday that would revise provisions relating to elective courses in History and Literature of the Old and New Testament eras in grades 9-12.
“This doesn’t create new subject matter, it expands it,” said bill sponsor, Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga). “It’s currently legal to teach the Bible in high school. The purpose of this bill is to allow them to each content expand and add aspects of art, government, literature music history, and customs and culture of the Bible
“This is not a bill to preach religion, but to teach history and the impact on modern day society.”
Sen. John Wilkinson (R-Toccoa), Vice-Chair of the Committee, announced that he was ready to make a motion on the proposed legislation. However, Chairman P.K. Martin (R-Lawrenceville) said that the meeting was a hearing only, and any action would be taken at a later time.
As proposed, the legislation states that the purposes of the courses are to “Teach students knowledge of biblical content, characters, poetry, and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture, including literature, art, music, mores, oratory, and public policy; and familiarize students with… the contents of the Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament.”
The committee also heard SB 60 by Chairman Martin — the Jeremy Nelson and Nick Blakely Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act. This bill would require schools to provide education materials about the danger of sudden cardiac arrest to students participating in interscholastic athletic activities, their parents, and their coaches. No action was taken on this bill.
