BOISE — A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of an Idaho charter school’s lawsuit against state officials who barred use of the Bible and other religious texts as a teaching tool in the classroom. In a decision Monday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the previous ruling against the now-defunct Nampa Classical Academy.

The state closed the academy last year citing troubled finances. The founders of the charter school tangled with Idaho officials over the use of the Bible and other religious texts shortly after opening in August 2009 with more than 500 students in southwestern Idaho. The academy filed a federal lawsuit against Idaho officials in September 2009. U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge dismissed that lawsuit, determining the ban did not violate the school’s rights.

---

---