Idaho Republican: Bibles in public schools ruled constitutional by ‘little Supreme Court in my head

[Jim Lane]

7. That Idaho Constitution provision is pretty sweeping.

You write:

They act like they can't teach bible stuff as part of a secular course in English or anthropology or history.

Teaching Bible stuff in such a secular course would be a sensible rule but it's apparently not the Idaho rule. Per the linked article:

The Idaho Constitution says, “No books, papers, tracts or documents of a political, sectarian or denominational character shall be used.”

I read that as saying that students could be assigned to read something about religious revivals in colonial America but could not be assigned to read Edwards's sermon itself, let alone any excerpts from the Bible.

The ban even includes material of a "political" character. That means they couldn't read Washington's "Farewell Address" or King's "I Have a Dream" speech or a host of other important documents. My guess is that the provision isn't strictly enforced.