The Freedom From Religion Foundation is pleased to announce that West Virginia education officials have confirmed there are no plans to adopt an elective bible class at Tug Valley High School or anywhere else in Mingo County Schools — following an FFRF request that the unconstitutional proposal be rejected.
During the Mingo County Board of Education’s Nov. 18 meeting, a Tug Valley High School social studies teacher presented a petition seeking approval to launch an elective bible course, reportedly collecting signatures by going door to door. FFRF sent a letter to State Superintendent of Schools Michelle Blatt explaining why such a course would violate the Establishment Clause and expose the district to significant legal liability. The State Board of Education took control of Mingo County Schools in March, so any decision to add a bible class would need approval by Blatt.
In response, the legal counsel for the West Virginia Department of Education notified FFRF via email that “there are no plans to have an elective Bible class in Mingo County Schools.” The reply further clarified that the Mingo County Board of Education currently “has no authority” to act on the teacher’s proposal, and that both the state superintendent and the state-appointed Mingo County Superintendent “have no intent to pursue the matter.”
“Public school bible courses are constitutional minefields,” says FFRF Legal Counsel Chris Line. “The Supreme Court has permitted only narrow, objective courses that treat the bible as literature — not devotionally — and most districts that try to run such a class end up violating those rules in practice. We’re glad to see West Virginia officials recognize the risks and decline to move forward.”
The Supreme Court has ruled that devotional bible instruction in public schools is unconstitutional (McCollum v. Board of Education, 1948). Federal courts nationwide have reinforced this rule — including in a decision in an FFRF case taken against Rhea County, Tenn. The court wrote: “This is not a close case. Since 1948, it has been very clear that the First Amendment does not permit the state to use its public school system to ‘aid any or all religious faiths or sects in the dissemination of their doctrines.’”
FFRF’s letter explained that even an “elective” bible class raises constitutional problems. Courts have repeatedly held that voluntariness does not excuse state-sponsored religious promotion. Students are a captive audience, and opting out does not eliminate coercion or stigma, especially in religiously homogeneous communities like Mingo County.
The letter highlighted the costly precedent from Mercer County, W.Va., where FFRF successfully sued over “Bible in the Schools” classes, resulting in the district paying $225,000 in attorneys’ fees.
The district’s confirmation is significant given demographic realities: More than a third of adult West Virginians are religiously unaffiliated, and nearly half of Generation Z nationwide is nonreligious.
“The district’s duty is to provide an inclusive, secular education,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor emphasizes. “We’re grateful that state officials recognize that adopting a bible class would privilege Christianity and violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.”
FFRF appreciates the swift clarification from state and county leadership and urges continued vigilance to ensure Mingo County Schools remain welcoming, neutral spaces for students of all faiths — and none.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with about 42,000 members nationwide, including more than 100 members in West Virginia. FFRF’s purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
