Resident urges board to allow Bibles as classroom research materials, offers to form volunteer funding committee

Larry Overfield, a Highlands County property owner, used the meeting’s public comment period to urge the school board to allow the Bible to be used as research material and textbook content in multiple classroom settings, including history, civics, philosophy and science.

Why it matters: The request touched on constitutional and curricular questions about religion in public schools. Mr. Overfield proposed creating a volunteer committee to research and procure Bibles for use as materials, saying no tax dollars would be used.

At the podium Mr. Overfield described scientific and philosophical figures he said support intelligent-design perspectives and criticized teaching evolution as an unopposed scientific fact in schools. He said he had discussed the idea with Superintendent Dr. Longshore and Mr. Lethbridge, and asked the board to permit formation of a volunteer committee to research and procure Bibles as classroom materials, funded by private donations rather than tax money. He added that teachers would retain final discretion about whether to place a Bible in their classroom and said he would not seek to compel teachers.

The board acknowledged the comment and moved on to the superintendent’s report; no board motion or directive to form a committee was recorded in the transcript.

Mr. Overfield provided two email addresses for follow-up (redacted here to protect contact format presented) and emphasized his constitutional right to share faith publicly. The transcript does not show any board action in response to his proposal, and no change to district policy or curriculum was recorded.