On the Bible lawsuit

A formal settlement proposal over ECISD’s embattled Bible course was sent to trustees Tuesday.

However, ECISD trustees didn’t take action on the proposal that included dropping the current curriculum.

After the meeting, many trustees and their attorneys wouldn’t comment on whether they’ve seen the settlement.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas, People for the American Way Foundation and national law firm Jenner & Block LLP filed a federal lawsuit against the district in May on behalf of eight parents who say the course violates individual religious liberties.

Trustee Doyle Woodall cautiously chose his words after the meeting when asked if a settlement proposal had been presented to trustees in executive session.

“It is still in mediation at this time,” Woodall said, referring additional questions to mediator Hesha Abrams.

Other elected officials, board president Carol Gregg and trustee Donna Smith, also referred questions to Abrams.

Some plaintiffs in the suit attended Tuesday’s meeting and said they attended to see if the trustees would act on the settlement proposal, which calls for the district to do away with its National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools curriculum used in the course and replace it with another curriculum.

Plaintiffs Karen and Doug Hildebrand said it wasn’t surprising trustees didn’t take action on the proposal.

“They’ve just gotten it,” Karen Hildebrand said.

Another plaintiff Lori White, who didn’t attend the meeting, said she received an e-mail Tuesday afternoon stating trustees and district officials had received the proposal.

White said the proposal also details suggestions on how the district could do away with the current NCBCPS curriculum.

She believes the proposal could lead to a settlement in the case prior to a July 28 trial date set by U.S. District Judge Rob Junell.

“I really think it will work out,” she said.

In other business, trustees unanimously approved more than 40 new and old concurrent and dual credit courses in a renewed agreement with Odessa College and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

Trustees also heard an update from ECISD interim superintendent Hector Mendez that the district plans to keep a regulation of students earning at least a 65 grade-point-average while taking weighted classes like Advanced Placement to be eligible to play in University Interscholastic League sports.

Mendez said this regulation would allow his leadership team and himself to change the regulation, which ECISD officials have had in place for many years.

However, this school year the state has allowed school districts to let students play even if they fail the class with as low as a zero.

Trustees Ray Beaty, Randy Rives and Woodall voiced concerns that having the UIL rule as a regulation and the leadership team being able to change it without board approval could cause trouble down the road.

Rives said he thought the board would develop the rule as a board policy since the issue caries so much weight.

“This is big to a lot of people in the district and the public,” Rives said.

Gregg asked Mendez to come back to the board at a future meeting with the regulation outlined as a policy.