District says no to Bible elective

The Huntington Beach Union High School district has voted down a proposal to add a “Bible as Literature” elective to its curriculum.

School board members voted 4-1 against the proposal, which had been brought up in various ways for more than a year. Only member Matthew Harper, who asked for it to be placed on the agenda at every meeting since last summer, voted yes.

Those who voted no said the district’s curriculum committee had already nixed the idea twice, partially for lack of interest among teachers.

“This is a mandate, and this board does not mandate electives,” said trustee Susan Henry. “Electives need to be allowed to percolate up from the school sites, and have interest voiced . . ..It’s been a year of it coming back, and I think it needs to be put to rest.”

But Harper countered by asking for more scrutiny of the committee, saying it had no clear accountability to the public or the board.

“There should be some line of accountability and authority that can be traced back to voters,” he said.

— Michael Alexander