The Gideon Society’s New Testament will be distributed free in the schools of West Hartford to those children whose parents authorize the gifts, according to a decision of the West Hartford Board of Education.
Jewish and other leaders had asked the board not to grant the request of the Gideon Society for permission to distribute the New Testament in the schools, but the board voted to do so on a restricted basis.
The superintendent of schools, who has assumed responsibility for the method of distribution, said that “books will not be given to children unless their parents have requested them.” He said that the board would make the same arrangements for any religious group.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.