A rural Oregon school district is in hot water after administrators reportedly admitted they force students to read Bible passages as punishment, The Coos Bay World reports.

The allegations came in a letter from the Oregon Department of Education to North Bend School District Superintendent Bill Yester issued March 6. The department says a North Bend High School LGBTQ student was forced to read the Bible passages as punishment for an undisclosed infraction by a school administrator.

The education department is also investigating claims another LGBTQ student was discriminated against for reporting sexual harassment.

The district initially denied the administrator had used Bible readings as a punishment, The World reports. But the administrator contradicted that claim in an interview with ODE and the punishment was later confirmed by his supervisor.

An ODE spokesperson said the March 6 letter triggered a 30-day reconciliation period where the student and district could come to a settlement. That didn't happen, even when ODE granted an extension.

Now, the education department will dispatch a hearings officer to discuss the allegations with North Bend officials on May 24 to determine if the district complied with state anti-discrimination laws.

At issue is the question of whether the Bible readings violated the students' First Amendment rights, violating the Establishment Clause of the Constitution and crossing the line separating church and state.

The North Bend School District in a release said the Bible reading was a one-time thing. Officials plan to appeal the allegations during the May 24 meeting and say the district "has taken corrective action."

But if the hearings officer determines the administrator violated state law and discriminated against the student, consequences could include daily fines levied against the school district, a loss of funding or the barring of North Bend teams participating in "interschool activities."

The American Civil Liberties Union on Twitter said its Oregon office is involved in the case.

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.com