Teaching About Religion: OK and Not OK

To teach the personal and civic
virtues widely held in our society,
such as honesty, caring, fairness,
and integrity. [TGRPS]

To instill in students such values
as "independent thought,
tolerance of diverse views,
self-respect, maturity, self-reliance
and logical decision-making."
[ADL-with court citation]

To teach secular values such as
honesty, respect for others,
courage, kindness and good
citizenship. [OABITAR]

To play an active role with respect
to teaching civic values and virtue,
and the moral code that holds us
together as a community. [USDE]

To teach secular values which
coincide with religious values.
(The fact that most religions also
teach these values does not
change the lawfulness and
desirability of teaching them.)
[ADL]

To voice your endorsement of
shared civic values such as
honesty, respect for others,
courage, kindness and good
citizenship with students.
[OABITAR]

To participate in religious
activities or advocate particular
religious views when in
circumstances where students are
not present (e.g., in a faculty
lunchroom), since teachers are
afforded the same rights as is any
government employee. [ADL]

To teach values as religious
tenets. [ADL]

To invoke religious authority or
denigrate the religious or
philosophical commitments of
students and parents. [TGRPS]

To appeal to a religious base or
rationale for your teaching of such
values. [OABITAR]

To reward or punish students
because their statements agree or
disagree with your own views.
[TGRPS]

To volunteer your personal
religious views with students,
particularly those in the lower
grades. If a teacher's religious
views become the subject of
discussion, the teacher must
make clear that he or she is in no
way encouraging students to
adopt those views. [ADL]

To participate in religious
activities or advocate particular
religious views when you are
teaching or counseling students or
acting as representatives of the
school. [ADL]