A high school student refused to complete a history lesson on “The Muslim World” and went to court, charging that she felt the assignment forced her to embrace Islam. A federal appeals court in Maryland recently disagreed with the student’s assessment, saying that school officials did not violated the student’s First Amendment rights because the curriculum did not endorse a particular religion “and did not compel [the student] to profess any belief.”
“School authorities, not the courts, are charged with the responsibility of deciding what speech is appropriate in the classroom,” wrote Judge Barbara Milano Keenan. “Academic freedom would not long survive in an environment in which courts micromanage school curricula and parse singular statements made by teachers.”
Attorney Andrew Scott, who represents Charles County school officials, said that the ruling sends an important message, reaffirming a teacher’s discretion to teach about religion. “Religion is an integral part of history. You can’t ignore it,” said Mr. Scott. “The key is to teach it from a secular perspective — and not to proselytize.”
