Almost immediately after the Freedom From Religion Foundation contacted the Jackson-Madison County School System in Tennessee over inappropriate Christian worship songs at a mandatory event in July, the district took action to prevent such incidents in the future.
FFRF Patrick O’Reiley Legal Fellow Hirsh M. Joshi wrote a letter on Aug. 1 to the district after learning that JMCSS turned a mandatory teacher in-service into a religious worship event on July 30. Details of the event were confirmed via official social media posts from the district, including one teacher sharing a video of the event and commenting “We had Church today.”
“The District must be neutral with regard to religion in order to respect and protect the First Amendment rights of all staff,” Joshi wrote.
FFRF had explained that coercing staff members to sing religious songs and participate in prayer at a teacher in-service, or any school-sponsored event, is unconstitutional. Furthermore, imposing religious worship on staff violates their First Amendment rights. The district serves and employs a diverse population with a multitude of religious beliefs, including Jews, Muslims, atheists and agnostics.
The state/church watchdog is pleased to report that District Superintendent Dr. Marlon D. King acted swiftly to ensure that the Constitution would be respected.
“Please know that it was never our intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or to impose any religious beliefs. I deeply respect all religions and the diverse beliefs of our community. Our goal was to inspire and unite our staff, not to promote any specific religious practice,” King wrote in an email to Joshi on Aug. 6. “Moving forward, I will ensure that all professional development activities strictly adhere to the guidelines that respect the religious freedoms of all participants.” Dr. King added. “This will not happen again.”
Joshi comments: “JMCSS made clear that its commitment to inclusion extends to teachers and the nonreligious. That’s a wonderful thing for Dr. King’s administration to reassure his community. I wish everyone at JMCSS a healthy and enriching school year, where they are free to practice their faith, including no faith at all.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation serves as the nation’s largest association of freethinkers, with 40,000 members and several chapters across the country, including almost 500 members and a chapter in Tennessee, and works as a state/church watchdog to safeguard the constitutional principle of separation between state and church.
