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Atheist group cautions schools: No field trips to Noah’s Ark theme park

That ‘ol Freedom From Religion Foundation is at it again, this time sending out letters to “every public school district in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, West Virginia and Ohio” warning them not to undertake field trips to a Noah’s Ark theme park — Ark Encounter — because they would “violate” the First Amendment.

The FFRF specifically mentions the park’s owner, Ken Ham, stating he “is free to erect monuments to his bible, but public schools are not permitted to expose the children in their charge to religious myths and proselytizing.”

In response, Ham lowered the admission price for kids to $1, and for teachers to free. The usual price is $28 and $40 respectively. Ham also urged the schools not to give in to the FFRF’s demands.

EAG News.org reports:

“On the basis of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, public schools are absolutely free to take students on field trips (with appropriate parental permissions) to facilities like the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, provided they are for historical, recreational, or educational purposes,” [Ham said]. “FFRF has no right (and no legal basis whatsoever) to intimidate government-run schools as they are trying to do in this letter sent to more than 1,000 schools.

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“Really, public school students could benefit from a visit to Ark Encounter for educational purposes. School officials are not asked to endorse as truth everything they see, and they don’t. (Just as they don’t endorse as truth the content of every class video, stage production, and cultural experience in other field trips.) The Ark is merely an awesome opportunity to give kids exposure to one point of view in a very vivid way. That is in no way unlawful, and no court has ever said it is.”

Ham quoted an opinion offered by the Center for Religious Expression.

“Once again, FFRF is wrong. Public schools are free to take students on field trips to any place they find educationally beneficial, which can include parks, museums, and even churches, that have religious connotations. The Constitution demands the state be neutral – not hostile – toward religion. To deny students the unique opportunity to see and experience a full-scale model of Noah’s Ark – just because its existence is described in the Bible – would be decidedly hostile.”

Two education officials in Kentucky disagreed with the FFRF’s position on the matter.

“I think they are grossly overstating their case,” said Grant Public Schools attorney Donald Ruberg who noted that “school carpentry, religion or architectural classes” could benefit from a visit to the park.

NBC News reports that one of Ham’s philosophical nemeses, Bill Nye, was an invited guest at the Ark’s opening, and the “Science Guy” was troubled at some of the things he saw.

For instance, there was an exhibit which showed dinosaurs existing alongside human beings … even though the huge reptiles were long gone by the time humans arrived on the scene. Public schools could indeed run afoul of “establishment” precedent if their students were taught about such during an Ark visit.

Nye did, however, “appreciate some of the craftsmanship details” of the massive structure, which is courtesy of Amish worker expertise.

Read the full EAG News  and NBC News pieces.

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About the Author
Associate Editor
Dave has been writing about education, politics, and entertainment for over 20 years, including a stint at the popular media bias site Newsbusters. He is a retired educator with over 25 years of service and is a member of the National Association of Scholars. Dave holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Delaware.