Tennessee
The Maryville City Schools in Tennessee will no longer send the school choir to perform at National Day of Prayer events after FFRF informed the district of the surrounding constitutional concerns.
FFRF learned that the Maryville High School choir performed religious songs at Blount County’s National Day of Prayer event held in May 2024. The choir, dressed in their official concert attire, performed three songs, including “Down to the River to Pray.”
“By allowing the MHS choir to perform at this National Day of Prayer event, the district displays clear favoritism for religion over nonreligion and Christianity above all other faiths,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district.
The district’s legal representative, Chris W. McCarthy, responded to the concerns. In an email to FFRF, McCarthy wrote, “After discussing your letter and its allegations with my client, I can confirm that we take those allegations very seriously, and steps are being taken internally to ensure we do not receive a similar letter moving forward.”
