Kentucky Schools Reverse Decision on Eliminating 'B.C.'

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, host:

The State of Kentucky is debating what its teachers should instruct its student, starting with the calendar. The debate centers on those letters at the end of historical dates, B.C. and A.D. The Western calendar counts the years from an ancient calculation on the approximate birth of Jesus Christ.

STEVE INSKEEP, host:

B.C. stands for Before Christ, while A.D. stands for Ano Domini, Latin for in the Year of our Lord.

Two months ago, the state's school board in Kentucky approved a plan to teach a secular alternative, which scholars have used for years.

WERTHEIMER: Instead of saying that a Roman slave revolt happened in 73 B.C., teachers would say 73 BCE, meaning Before the Common Era.

INSKEEP: Teachers would also say that a volcano destroyed Pompeii, not in 79 A.D., but in 79 CE or Common Era.

WERTHEIMER: The Kentucky Board's decision prompted protests from religious conservatives. And when the board's members expired, the government appointed new members, who've now voted unanimously to undo the policy.

You're listening to MORNING EDITION.

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