Letter: Schools should have children read the Bible

Wednesday, March 5, 2003 | 9:07 a.m.

Members of the Clark County School Board should be commended for their courage in upholding prayer and invocations at graduation ceremonies.

While the news media and headline-seeking American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada concentrate on the potential of $70 million in lost federal funding, three courageous board members voted for the children in our schools.

If our children are having difficulty reading, perhaps they are reading the wrong type of literature. Might I suggest our children read the Bible? There are enough liberalized versions to make any liberal happy (the King James Bible should be the textbook of choice).

The Bible offers a great deal of mathematical concepts as well. Allow me to paraphrase a passage, "Seventy times seven," (concerning forgiving someone doing you wrong). How many Clark County School District graduating seniors can actually solve that problem?

Superintendent Carlos Garcia should support the School Board's decision and tell parents, the news media, and the civil liberties advocates that this is a great opportunity to open debate on the status of our schools.

While we are at it, let's put prayer back into our schools altogether.

R. R. GOYAKLA APACHE, PH. D. Editor's Note: The writer is assistant professor of Sports Education and Leadership at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.