Update: Crowd Sounds Off On Buncombe Co. Schools Religion Debate

Updated: February 3, 2012 at 6:50 a.m.

A crowd of people packed a Buncombe County School Board Meeting Thursday night to weigh in on their religion policy.

 It follows a complaint over bibles at North Windy Ridge.

The proposed policy states school employees are not supposed to endorse or discourage a faith or viewpoint.

The board could vote on whether to adopt the policy at a meeting in March according to the Citizen-Times. To read more on this story, click here.

Updated: February 2, 2012

School Leaders hope to clear up questions of religion in the classroom in Buncombe County.

The Buncombe County Board of Education meets Thursday night to discuss a system-wide religion policy. A controversy of bibles in one school prompted the discussion.

The meeting is Thursday at 6:30pm in the Board Auditorium at the BCS Administrative Building, located at 175 Bingham Road, Asheville.  

A final vote is set for March.

Updated: January 26, 2012

Some school leaders hope to clear up questions about how religion is handled in the classroom. 

It says the school system won't advance or inhibit any religion, religious belief, viewpoint or practice.

The discussion comes after controversy over bibles in one school in December.

Posted: January 5, 2012

A North Carolina mother says her son's school is refusing books supportive of her pagan beliefs after last month offering Bibles.

Buncombe County school officials are not accepting donations that could be viewed as advocating a religion while attorneys review policies.

Ginger Strivelli says that's a change that blocks her from donating books affirming her pagan beliefs to her son's North Windy Ridge school in Weaverville.

Strivelli says the school's principal had said she would handle all donated religious books in the same way as the donated Bibles made available to children who wanted them.

Strivelli says her fifth-grade son felt peer pressure to collect the Bible he brought home. She says if schools allow one religion a place in schools they should be open to all religions. 

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Jan Blunt, Director of Communications for Buncombe County Schools, released this statement to 7 On Your Side:

"The Bibles dropped off at North Windy Ridge Intermediate School were at the school for less than 48 hours before the Gideons voluntarily picked them up and school closed for winter break. A check of the other schools in our system did not find any other instances of similar donated materials.

Buncombe County School officials are currently reviewing relevant policies and practices with school board attorneys; during this review period, no school in the system will be accepting donations of materials that could be viewed as advocating a particular religion or belief."

The board will discuss the policy during next Thursday's meeting and could vote in March. 

The Buncombe County school board reviewed a proposed policy during Wednesday night's meeting.