Leading secular groups have requested from five Tennessee school districts all public records related to their recently announced plans to display the Ten Commandments in schools.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State have asked for in letters sent yesterday to Blount County School District, Rutherford County Schools, Washington County Schools, White County Schools and Wilson County Schools all school-district emails and other communications, as well as all board documents, regarding the display of the Ten Commandments. The letters also seek, pursuant to Tennessee’s Public Records Act, all proposed or approved display designs. The records will shed light on the implementation of a new state law that authorizes local boards of education to post the Ten Commandments in a “prominent” location in school buildings.
The letters follow recent votes by the districts’ boards of education requiring their schools to post the religious rules. A Tennessee law enacted earlier this year, House Bill 47, provides that boards may “allow” schools to display the Ten Commandments in “a prominent location.” The statute defines “prominent location” as a “school entryway, cafeteria, or common area where students are likely to see the display.” Under the law, displays must include “text in a font size that is no smaller than [at] least twenty-six (26) point, and in a style and manner that is easy for students to see and read.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, the ACLU of Tennessee, ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State issued the following joint statement regarding the requests for public records:
“Forcing biblical scripture on public-school children violates families’ religious freedom. Families and faith communities, not the government, get to decide what role religious doctrine and belief play in their lives. We are committed to protecting students’ and parents’ constitutional rights and are launching an investigation of every school district that foolishly accepts the state’s invitation to trample those rights. We urge families who will be affected by these religious displays to contact our organizations.”
The public records requests can be found online here.
