{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-158.197","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 158.197","heading":"Elective course on religious scripture -- Purpose  -- Restrictions --","body":"School council or governing body authorized to display historic religious\nand nonreligious artifacts, monuments,  symbols, and texts in conjunction\nwith course of study.\n(1) A school-based decision making council under administrative regulations of the\nKentucky Board of Education may offer students in grade nine (9) or above:\n(a) An  elective social studies course on  the Hebrew  Scriptures, Old\nTestament of the Bible;\n(b) An elective social studies course on the New Testament of the Bible; or\n(c) An elective social studies course on the Hebrew Scriptures and the New\nTestament of the Bible.\n(2) The purpose of a course under this section is to:\n(a) Teach  students knowledge of biblical content, characters, poetry, and\nnarratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society\nand  culture, including literature, art, music, mores, oratory, and public\npolicy; and\n(b) Familiarize students with, as applicable:\n1. The contents of the Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament;\n2. The history of the Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament;\n3. The  literary style and structure of the Hebrew  Scriptures or New\nTestament; and\n4. The  influence of the Hebrew Scriptures or New  Testament on law,\nhistory, government, literature, art, music, customs, morals, values,\nand culture.\n(3) A student shall not be required to use a specific translation as the sole text of\nthe Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament and may use as the basic textbook a\ndifferent translation of the Hebrew  Scriptures or New  Testament from that\nchosen by the school council.\n(4) A course offered under this section shall follow applicable law and all federal\nand state guidelines in maintaining religious neutrality and accommodating the\ndiverse religious views, traditions, and perspectives of students in the school. A\ncourse under this section shall not endorse, favor, or promote, or disfavor or\nshow  hostility toward, any particular religion or nonreligious faith or religious\nperspective. A school-based decision making council, in complying with this\nsection, shall not violate any provision of the United States Constitution or\nfederal law, the Kentucky Constitution or any state law, or any administrative\nregulations of the United States Department of Education or the Kentucky\nDepartment of Education.\n(5) Any school council organized pursuant to KRS  160.345 or, if none exists, the\nprincipal, may authorize the display of historic artifacts, monuments, symbols,\nand texts, including but not limited to religious materials, in conjunction with a\ncourse of study that includes an elective course in history, civilization, ethics,\ncomparative religion, literature, or other subject area that uses such artifacts,\nmonuments,  symbols, and texts as instructional material if the display is:\n(a) Appropriate to the overall educational purpose of the course; and\n(b) Consistent with the requirements of KRS 42.705.","path":["KRS Chapter 158"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=47050","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:04Z","sha256":"9823fae3264f905d52cb97990e13579a72fe1cccbd607bd681af2f2a4fc37235","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-158.196","next":"us-ky/krs-158.200"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}