The rural Newaygo County school district has twice canceled the popular Bible study class for elementary students in recent years following complaints from "civil rights" activists, but superintendent Ken Haggart recently announced that the program will be back for the 2017-18 school year, Mlive reports.

"Michigan law specifically authorizes public schools to release students for up to 2 hours per week for religious instruction at an off premises location which is exactly what happened in Fremont," says attorney Timothy Denney told WZZM.

Students at Daily Brook Elementary School were left hanging in 2015 when the Michigan Association of Civil Rights Activists forced the district to end the Bible classes because they allegedly violated the law because they were held in the school's gymnasium, Haggart told the news site.

School officials resolved the issue and [reinstated] the program this year with monthly sessions at Fremont Wesleyan Church during students' lunch break. Students who returned parental permission slips were transported to the church by a pastor in a private bus, according to the news site.

But another MACRA complaint this year convinced Haggart to end the program again.

"There is some concern, brought forward by a civil right group, which by allowing your child to leave the school campus during the school day Daisy Brook Elementary and Fremont Public Schools could be viewed as promoting religion," Haggart wrote to parents when he canceled the program this year.

The alleged civil rights activists filed complaints against similar programs in other local school districts—including Byron Center, Grand Haven and Fruitport schools—which also quickly folded to the group's claims that the classes violated laws prohibiting religious activities in schools.

MACRA, of course, applauded the move to cancel the programs.

"In both of these cases, (Byron Center and Fremont), MACRA took action on behalf of concerned parents whose children attend these schools," the group announced in 2015, according to Mlive. "Public schools are institutions of knowledge, not temples of ideology, and MACRA encourages parents, students or teachers to complain if similar religious activity is occurring in their public schools." (Photo via EAG News)

It's unclear what, exactly, prompted Haggart to cancel the program this year, but he told WZZM an overwhelming response from parents urging officials to bring back the program compelled officials to find another solution.

"Sometimes I think the first impulse of public school administrators is that when anyone complains about religion in the public schools ... is to stop the thing temporarily," said Denny, who represents the Wesleyan Church pastor involved in the program...

Click here to continue reading.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

MOVIEGUIDE's Review of the New Animated Film: DAVID

Massachusetts Drops Controversial Gender Ideology Mandate for Licensing Foster Care Parents

Nearly 40% of Women Suffer Severe Grief for Years after Abortion, Miscarriage: Study

Former Pfizer Vice President: COVID Shots Were 'Designed to Cause Injury,' Reduce Fertility

Dutch Sheets Shares a Warning from the US National Counterterrorism Center

Venezuela: Trump's Pressure Campaign and Maduro's Fury

President Trump Charts Accomplishments and Previews Future Policies during His Primetime Address

Secretary Hegseth and Franklin Graham Preach Gospel at Pentagon Christmas Service: 'Jesus Took Our Shame'

'Unsafe, Needless, Irreversible': HHS Sec. Kennedy Takes Sweeping Action to Reverse Biden-Era Policies on So-Called 'Gender Affirming Care'

Hobby Lobby Giving Away Half a Million Copies of Book Defending Biblical Christmas Story [Video]

Geothermal Blind Power Site Discovered in Nevada

Black Lives Matter Leader Indicted on Dozens of Federal Fraud Charges

DC Police Chief Forced Staff to Underreport Crime Counts, Subordinates Testify to House Oversight

'Shocking New Docs' Show Biden's DOJ Pressured FBI to Raid Mar-a-Lago, Says Grassley

Rob Reiner's Son Arrested In Connection With Brutal Slayings, Bail Set At $4 Million

Still No Suspect in Murder of Jewish MIT Professor

After Bondi Beach, the West Must Directly Confront Jihadism, Experts Say

'Chile Has Defeated Communism Today': José Antonio Kast Wins Presidential Race in Conservative Landslide

'He Takes My Breath Away': a Christmas Season Story from Give Him 15

President Trump Classifying Fentanyl as 'Weapon of Mass Destruction'