Meanwhile, the Texas Senate on Thursday also passed, and sent back to the House for final approval, HB3678, aimed at protecting voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints in public schools. (See prior related posting.) The Associated Press reports:
Under the legislation, religious beliefs expressed in homework, artwork and other assignments would be judged by traditional academic standards. Students couldn't be penalized or rewarded because of the religious content of their work.UPDATE: The Dallas Morning News reported on Sunday that when HB 3678 was passed by the Texas Senate, it took out the non-discrimination provision that had been added by the House, and that the House on Saturday, by a vote of 108-28, approved the Senate version.
The measure had sparked vigorous debate in the House, where the bill was amended to say that the religious expression could not discriminate against someone else’s race, age, sexual preference or religious belief.