Sometimes the stars line up just right and things work. Bureaucrats respond immediately. Authority figures admit mistakes and apologize.
Passionate adults debate politely while they work toward consensus.
It all happened Friday in a Fresno Unified School District conference room. As a result, Edison High's Bible as Literature pilot course will continue. A new text will be chosen, handouts will be sanitized of religious bias and the teacher and principal promise to work to make sure district policy and the law are not violated again. What a switch from the recent past when officials ignored complaints of Bible verses posted in school libraries, Christian symbols adorning classroom lecterns, and teachers talking about God in class or asking students to pray for neighbors. What a reverse of the intimidation student journalists experienced when they pointed out how a campus club lured students with a free lunch, then blocked cafeteria doors while a guest speaker preached about hell and Christ, breaching the separation of church and state.