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Jill Porter | Dear God! Philly students trading religion for math
SCORES OF Philadelphia public school students are missing out on math and other academic classes to read the Bible and discuss salvation through Jesus Christ.
They're leaving school for an hour per week to do so.
And if the subject of evolution comes up, they're likely to be told that they are God's creations and Darwin's theory isn't true.
It's shocking that public school time would be used in such religious pursuit - and downright scandalous that evolution would be debunked in favor of creationism, which isn't permitted in the district's curriculum.
And it's all perfectly, unfathomably, legal.
Under federal and state law, pupils who have their parents' signed permission can leave school for up to 36 hours during the school year for religious instruction.
At least two Philadelphia schools release students for Islamic study. But most of the pupils who participate in the program - an unofficial count of 170 students at eight schools - attend Christian churches involved with or recruited through Paul Humber, of Philadelphia's Skilton Ministries.
Humber is an unabashed critic of Darwin.
"I don't think evolutionism is legitimate science," Humber said.
If asked about it during Bible class, he said, "I will say I believe the statement that we've come from monkey creatures is neither scientifically sound nor even true."
Would it be fair to say he's teaching creationism through the back door, I asked?
No, he answered.
"It's a front door approach. There's no problem. Even the ACLU won't challenge Christian released time. It's so well established."
That much is true.
It's ironic that the teaching of creationism recently embroiled parents and educators in a loud, public battle in Dover - while the controversial theory has been available through this program here for the past few years.
Longstanding Pennsylvania law - recently reinforced by the federal No Child Left Behind Act - requires school districts to allow for religious instruction off school grounds, according to a school district official.
The district can neither promote nor discourage it, monitor nor censor it. "The school district does not support the program, only complies with federal and state law that says we must allow for this activity," said James Scott, director of Community Relations and Faith-Based Initiatives.
"That's the extent of our involvement."
Scott said the district doesn't even keep a record of which schools or how many students participate; the figures I quote were provided by Humber.
The program isn't centrally run by Humber. There's no official curriculum and he says there's no "litmus test" that requires creationism be endorsed.
But for the past several years, Humber has recruited churches and spearheaded the effort to expand the program.
Case in point is the Philadelphia Deliverance Tabernacle on Ogontz Avenue, which began providing released time this year for pupils at Pennypacker School.
Pastor John Blaine said he was asked by Humber to participate and has a dozen students in 5th and 6th grades who attend every Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m.
"We tell them things pertaining to God; we basically teach them about creation," he said.
Blaine said he only learned belatedly that his pupils were missing a math class.
"In fact, we were not informed that they were missing education.
"I think that class is necessary. I also think it's necessary for them to have this Christian released time. "
Humber also defends the conflict with academic classes.
The Bible reading provides pupils with reinforcement in "English, history, and so forth."
But that's not his main concern. He rails at length about the "secular humanism" that dominates public schools - and proposes creationism as an antidote.
"Children in public schools need some sense of hope," he said.
"Learning you are just an accident in the universe does not promote too much hope."
Humber is entitled to his opinion. But it boggles my mind that he can peddle that opinion to kids on school time, in place of essential schoolwork.
Considering that Philadelphia students lag in academic achievement - considering that religious instruction can be had on weekends on their own time - it's quite outrageous.
And yet perfectly, ridiculously, legal.
E-mail porterj@phillynews.com or call 215-854-5850. For recent columns: http://go.philly.com/porter
SCORES OF Philadelphia public school students are missing out on math and other academic classes to read the Bible and discuss salvation through Jesus Christ.
They're leaving school for an hour per week to do so.
And if the subject of evolution comes up, they're likely to be told that they are God's creations and Darwin's theory isn't true.
It's shocking that public school time would be used in such religious pursuit - and downright scandalous that evolution would be debunked in favor of creationism, which isn't permitted in the district's curriculum.
And it's all perfectly, unfathomably, legal.
Under federal and state law, pupils who have their parents' signed permission can leave school for up to 36 hours during the school year for religious instruction.
At least two Philadelphia schools release students for Islamic study. But most of the pupils who participate in the program - an unofficial count of 170 students at eight schools - attend Christian churches involved with or recruited through Paul Humber, of Philadelphia's Skilton Ministries.
Humber is an unabashed critic of Darwin.
"I don't think evolutionism is legitimate science," Humber said.
If asked about it during Bible class, he said, "I will say I believe the statement that we've come from monkey creatures is neither scientifically sound nor even true."
Would it be fair to say he's teaching creationism through the back door, I asked?
No, he answered.
"It's a front door approach. There's no problem. Even the ACLU won't challenge Christian released time. It's so well established."
That much is true.
It's ironic that the teaching of creationism recently embroiled parents and educators in a loud, public battle in Dover - while the controversial theory has been available through this program here for the past few years.
Longstanding Pennsylvania law - recently reinforced by the federal No Child Left Behind Act - requires school districts to allow for religious instruction off school grounds, according to a school district official.
The district can neither promote nor discourage it, monitor nor censor it. "The school district does not support the program, only complies with federal and state law that says we must allow for this activity," said James Scott, director of Community Relations and Faith-Based Initiatives.
"That's the extent of our involvement."
Scott said the district doesn't even keep a record of which schools or how many students participate; the figures I quote were provided by Humber.
The program isn't centrally run by Humber. There's no official curriculum and he says there's no "litmus test" that requires creationism be endorsed.
But for the past several years, Humber has recruited churches and spearheaded the effort to expand the program.
Case in point is the Philadelphia Deliverance Tabernacle on Ogontz Avenue, which began providing released time this year for pupils at Pennypacker School.
Pastor John Blaine said he was asked by Humber to participate and has a dozen students in 5th and 6th grades who attend every Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m.
"We tell them things pertaining to God; we basically teach them about creation," he said.
Blaine said he only learned belatedly that his pupils were missing a math class.
"In fact, we were not informed that they were missing education.
"I think that class is necessary. I also think it's necessary for them to have this Christian released time. "
Humber also defends the conflict with academic classes.
The Bible reading provides pupils with reinforcement in "English, history, and so forth."
But that's not his main concern. He rails at length about the "secular humanism" that dominates public schools - and proposes creationism as an antidote.
"Children in public schools need some sense of hope," he said.
"Learning you are just an accident in the universe does not promote too much hope."
Humber is entitled to his opinion. But it boggles my mind that he can peddle that opinion to kids on school time, in place of essential schoolwork.
Considering that Philadelphia students lag in academic achievement - considering that religious instruction can be had on weekends on their own time - it's quite outrageous.
And yet perfectly, ridiculously, legal.
E-mail porterj@phillynews.com or call 215-854-5850. For recent columns: http://go.philly.com/porter