School Board To Permit Distribution of Gideon Bibles

The Brunswick County, North Carolina school board, ignoring legal advice to the contrary, voted 3-2 last week to formulate a policy that would permit the Gideons to distribute Bibles in both middle schools and high schools. Attorney Joseph Causey, citing the 1998 Fourth Circuit case of Peck v. Upshur County Board of Education, had advised the school board to limit distributions to high schoolers once per year, and to make the opportunity available to all religious groups. The Board, however, said it was responding to a specific request, and would deal with other requests on a case-by-case basis, according to an article in yesterday's State Port (NC) Pilot.