In a complaint to the Oregon Department of Education, an administrator in the North Bend School District was accused of making students read from the Bible as a form of punishment, including at least one LGBT student.

The district denies the allegation—even though both the administrator and his supervisor confirmed it and, on at least one occasion, a school resource officer was present. According to The World, the ACLU has gotten involved in the case.

"There is substantial evidence to support the allegation that the district subjected LGBTQ students to separate or different rules of behavior, sanctions, or other treatment," read a March 6 letter from ODE to North Bend School District Superintendent Bill Yester. Using the Bible as punishment not only has "a chilling effect" on LGBT students’ relationship with their school, the letter warned, but may run afoul of the First Amendment's separation of church and state.

The district also stands accused of inadequately responding to the harassment of LGBT students: In one incident, two gay classmates were holding hands in a parking lot when another student, who happened to be the building administrator's child, allegedly drove by and yelled "faggot." After one of the victims reported the incident, instead of investigating, the school allegedly told the staffer to "discuss the matter" with his son as a parent.

The same victim complained that a North Bend teacher equated same-sex marriage with bestiality during a classroom lesson. In that instance, officials admitted discussing the incident with the teacher, who later apologized to the student.

ODE encouraged the district to reach an agreement with one victim within 30 days of receiving its letter, but a mediation meeting on April 24 proved fruitless. North Bend administrators claim the alleged incidents happened over a period of years and that they were not notified of most of the allegations.

In a statement posted to Facebook, the district said it "works hard every day to make sure all students feel respected and safe at school."

A hearing will be held May 24 to determine if North Bend officials are guilty of breaking anti-discrimination laws.

Located in northwest Oregon, the town of North Bend has fewer than 9,700 residents, with one high school and middle school and two elementary schools.