PRESS
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (August 12, 2021) — As thousands of students return for another school year this August, local nonprofit Bible in the Schools (BITS) celebrates the start of the 100th school year that Bible History elective courses have been offered in Hamilton County’s public schools. Since 1922, public school students in Hamilton County have taken Bible elective courses as part of their regular school day. A 100-year-old institution, Bible in the Schools is the byproduct of the vision of Dr. J. Park McCallie, founder of The McCallie School. After observing the benefits of Bible History classes on McCallie School youth, Dr. McCallie was convinced that Bible classes are “altogether the most worthwhile courses we have.” He wanted all students, public and private, to have the opportunity to study the Bible at their school. In 1922, Dr. McCallie organized a group known as the Public School Bible Study Committee, later referred to as Bible in the Schools, and argued before the City Commission that Bible classes should be taught in the public schools. “Today we stand on the shoulders of one man who, in 1922, understood the academic benefit of the rigor required from students when studying such a complex text, but who also recognized that when students studied the Bible, it had a transformative impact in their lives as well as on the integrity and climate of the entire school,” said Mrs. Cathy Scott. Mrs. Scott is the current president of Bible in the Schools. Bible History classes follow guidelines established by a 1980 federal court ruling, which affirmed that the teaching of for-credit non-sectarian Bible History elective classes in Hamilton County’s public middle and high schools is constitutionally permissible. Before 1980, elementary students throughout Hamilton County were eligible to take Bible courses; since the court ruling, the elective courses are only taught in middle and high schools. The Hamilton County Bible History curricular framework is court-approved, taught from an historical and literary perspective, and aligns with the standards of the Tennessee State Department of Education. The Hamilton County Schools Bible History program continues to lead our nation with the largest concentration of public school students in any one school district studying the Bible. Entering its 100th school year, Bible in the Schools now reaches 29 public schools and over 4,600 students. Demand for Bible History grows each school year: 2021 boasted the highest Bible History enrollment numbers since the program’s inception. Hamilton County Schools’ data reports that of the 19,006 students in the county who had access to Bible History in 2020-2021, approximately one in four students took and completed a course. Bible History elective courses provide public school students with the opportunity to receive a viewpoint-neutral, foundational study--at no cost to taxpayers--of one of the cornerstone texts of world history. Courses like Bible History encourage responsible citizenship and contribute to a broad education. They develop cultural literacy in young minds and equip students to thrive in and contribute to a global world. Bible in the Schools has provided public school students in Hamilton County with Bible History classes for 100 years, funded entirely by charitable community donations. Because of the generosity of the community, Bible in the Schools provided the largest community-funded donation to Hamilton County Schools in the 2020-2021 academic year. More information is available at www.bibleintheschools.com. Please direct any inquiries to info@bibleintheschools.com .
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., August 1, 2022 - Local nonprofit Bible in the Schools presented Hamilton County Schools (HCS)with its annual community gift of almost $2 million as reimbursement for the 2021-2022 countywide Bible electivecourse program. Bible in the Schools Board Chairman Tom Glenn and President Cathy Scott presented SuperintendentDr. Justin Robertson with the nearly $2 million gift. Also present was Bible in the Schools' board member Dr.Jill Hartness. Dr. Justin Robertson stated, “We very much appreciate the support we receive from Bible in the Schools thatprovides an elective course opportunity for many of our students in grades 6-12. Thanks to the generosity of thegroup and its supporters, our unique partnership has been in place for 100 years, and we look forward tocontinuing our joint work to serve Hamilton County students in the future.” Founded in 1922, Bible in the Schools provides elective Bible courses for public school students in HamiltonCounty. Celebrating its 100th year this year, Bible in the Schools now reaches 29 public schools and over 4,700students in grades 6-12. Demand for Bible continues to grow, as Bible in the Schools prepares to support31 schools for the 2022-2023 academic year with an expected record enrollment of over 5,000 students. HCS datareveals that of all middle and high school students in the county four out of five now have access to a Bibleclass at school. Hamilton County Schools recently announced a partnership with Chattanooga StateCommunity College that will begin this next school year. High school students who take Old Testament Survey willnow have the option to receive a local dual credit through Chatt State, earning college credit while studyingthe Bible. Bible courses are funded entirely by the generous supporters of Bible in the Schools. Board Chairman Tom Glennstated, "It is our great privilege to present this gift to our public schools, as it represents the generosityof so many donors in this community. Such ongoing generosity has made the gift of elective Bible coursesavailable to so many students in Chattanooga for the last 100 years. As we look to the future, we are eager tocontinue fulfilling our mission of advancing Bible education in Hamilton County public schools." Because of thegenerosity of the community, Bible in the Schools provided the largest community partner donation given toHamilton County Schools in the 2021-2022 academic year. President Cathy Scott stated, "The Hamilton County public school Bible program has been a daily dispenser of hopein this community and reflects the generosity of so many committed partners. Studying Bible courses in ourpublic schools helps ground and awaken students to the rich cultural footprint that the Bible has had onhistory. We believe that a knowledge of the Bible is a key component to a well-rounded education that encouragesstudents to not just be passive observers of society, but active contributors in a global world. Thank you toall who have donated generously to enrich Hamilton County Schools with a text that crosses all cultural,socioeconomic, and racial barriers while still enriching lives each day." Bible classes followguidelines established by a 1980 federal court ruling which affirmed that the teaching of for-credit elective Bibleclasses in Hamilton County's public middle and high schools is constitutionally permissible. The Bible coursecurricular framework is court-approved and aligns with the Tennessee Department of Education's state academicstandards. The Hamilton County-based program also leads the nation with the largest concentration of public schoolstudents in any one school district studying the Bible. The program is currently celebrating its 100th year. More information regarding participating schools and courses offered is available at bibleintheschools.com.Please direct any inquiries to info@bibleintheschools.com. Photo Credit: Zecheriah Curtis
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (August 3, 2021) — Local nonprofit Bible in the Schools presented Hamilton County Schools (HCS) with their annual community gift of almost $1.8 million as reimbursement for the 2020-2021 countywide Bible History elective program. Bible in the Schools Board Chairman Mr. Tom Glenn and President Mrs. Cathy Scott presented Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson with the $1.8 million gift. Also present was Bible in the Schools board member Mr. Mike Harrell. Dr. Bryan Johnson stated: “It is an honor to once again accept the gift of Bible History on behalf of Hamilton County Schools. This gift sponsors the education of thousands of public school students in our district. The countywide Bible History elective program encourages students in grades 6-12 to recognize the rich cultural connections between an ancient text and our modern world. Hamilton County seeks to graduate students who are future-ready and prepared for success in college and career. By thinking critically and engaging in historically rich conversations, HCS is preparing students to become global thinkers and responsible citizens.” Founded in 1922, Bible in the Schools provides Bible History elective courses for public school students in Hamilton County. Entering its 100th year, Bible in the Schools now reaches 29 public schools and over 4,600 students in grades 6-12. Demand for Bible History continues to grow, as 2021 recorded the highest Bible History enrollment numbers yet. HCS data reveals that, of the 19,006 students in the county who had access to Bible History elective courses in 2020-2021, one in four students completed a Bible course for graduation credit. Bible History courses are funded entirely by the generous supporters of Bible in the Schools. Board Chairman Mr. Tom Glenn stated: “As we approach our 100th school year, it is an honor to present this gift to our public schools, as it represents the heart behind so many donors in this community. Such generosity makes the gift of Bible History available to so many young lives.” Because of the generosity of the community, Bible in the Schools provided the largest community partner donation to Hamilton County Schools given in the 2020-2021 academic year. President Mrs. Cathy Scott stated: “The Hamilton County public school Bible History program has been a daily dispenser of hope in this community and reflects the generosity of so many committed partners. Studying Bible History in our public schools helps ground and awaken students to the rich cultural footprint that the Bible has had on history, while offering students hope, values, and life lessons relevant to the tough issues they wrestle with daily. We believe that a knowledge of the Bible is a key component to a well-rounded education that encourages students to not just be passive observers of society, but active contributors in a global world. Thank you to all who have donated generously to enrich Hamilton County Schools with a text that crosses all cultural, socioeconomic, and racial barriers, while still touching lives each day.” Bible History classes follow guidelines established by a 1980 federal court ruling, which affirmed that the teaching of for-credit Bible History elective classes in Hamilton County’s public middle and high schools is constitutionally permissible. The Bible History curricular framework is court-approved and aligns with the Tennessee Department of Education’s state academic standards. The Hamilton County-based program also leads the nation with the largest concentration of public school students in any one school district studying the Bible. The program is entering its 100th year. More information regarding participating schools and courses offered is available at www.bibleintheschools.com . Please direct any inquiries to info@bibleintheschools.com . Photo Credit: Rachel Douglass
IMPACTING OUR STUDENTS
"I wish Bible was offered in all public school in the USA. My children took it in middle school and it turned out awesome. I think our youth in this country would be better off if they took Bible."
- Bible parent, Hamilton County Schools