Kentucky public schools can start teaching Bible courses after Gov. Matt Bevin signed a bill Tuesday clearing the way for the sessions.
The bill puts local school boards in charge of adding Bible literacy classes to the social studies curriculum as an elective if they choose, WDRB-TV reported.
"It really did set the foundation that our founding fathers used to develop documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights," Kentucky State Rep. D.J. Johnson, the bill's sponsor said, according to WDRB-TV. "All of those came from principles from the Bible."
The law allows courses on the Bible that teach biblical content, characters, poetry, and narratives, and their impact on today's world, Bevin's office said in a statement.
"Whether someone is a believer or not, the Bible is an important part of our culture, and is key to understanding contemporary society," Johnson said in a statement from Bevin's office. "Thanks to this legislation, Kentucky’s students will now have the opportunity to learn about the Bible from a historical perspective, if they so choose."
The ACLU charged Wednesday that the bill's language is not clear and it will keep an eye on how the curriculum is developed so it does not cross the line into preaching, noted NBC News.
"Right now the language of the bill is very vague and the Kentucky Department of Education has not yet put together a curriculum," Amber Duke, of the Kentucky ACLU told NBC News. "The concern, though, is that you could have a curriculum that is constitutional and could be delivered in a manner that is not constitutional."
Duke pointed out to NBC News that other influential religions are not being taught.
"They will not be teaching about the Koran or the sacred texts of other religions," Duke told NBC News. "That would be more of a comparative religions class. This is a Bible literacy class."
According to the Pew Research Center, 76 percent of Kentucky residents are Christians and 49 percent of those are Evangelical Protestants. Catholics made up 10 percent and less than 1 percent are Muslim.
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