Five school districts in Tennessee are being asked to turn over public records regarding their decisions to post the Ten Commandments in schools. The request was made in letters sent by several civil rights groups to the schools districts.
More: Wilson County school board votes to display Ten Commandments
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Freedom From Religion Foundation made the public records request to school districts where boards of education have voted to require the prominent display of the Ten Commandments in schools.
The list includes: Blount County School District, Rutherford County Schools, Washington County Schools, White County Schools, and Wilson County Schools.
A Tennessee law that went into effect on July 1, House Bill 47, says boards may allow schools to display the religious text.
The Wilson County School Board made that policy change in July. The vote was unanimous, with some board members stressing that the display is about history not religion, and the Ten Commandments shaped legal and ethical traditions.
The civil rights groups making the records request say that will “shed light “on how the new state law is being implemented. They issued a joint email statement saying:
“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.”
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