Author: Aleta Ledendecker

Jackson, TN: The city hosted a children’s pottery event to make an Easter Plate, using offensive religious iconography in their advertisements. FFRF-ETC has forwarded the complaint to FFRF-national

Nursing School: Graduating nurses must recite a pledge promising good professional conduct. One graduating student turned to FFRF-ETC for advice upon learning that the pledge would be “before God”. FFRF-national attorneys replied that the school cannot require the “God” part, but the graduating nurse must request God’s removal. The student ultimately decided not to attend graduation.

Private schools in Tennessee must be registered in one of six categories. Category IV (church-related schools) poses two problems. First, these schools are exempt from many requirements. Core subjects such as math, English, and science are not required, nor are adequate textbooks, nationally standardized achievement tests, or licenced teachers. Second, home-schooling parents who do not meet the requirements for establishing an “independent home school” must register with a church-related “umbrella school”. These church-related schools often require an affirmation of faith from the parents, leaving limited options for nonreligious parents. FFRF-ETC has reported the matter to FFRF-national for possible legal action, and is working with a local private school to establish a Category IV “Humanist” school which will welcome nonreligious home-schoolers for Tennessee registration.

The Knox County School Board has approved a policy giving high-school credit for religious education provided off-campus by churches during school hours. Knox County will evaluate neither the qualifications of the teachers nor the content of the classes before offering credit. FFRF-national has sent a letter to the Knox County Schools demanding that the program of releasing students for off-campus religious education be terminated, or at least stripped of high-school credit. FFRF has filed an Open Records request for all communications a documents associated with the program.

Blount County pastors John Lowe and Chris Pass running for school board. Their financial backing comes from the Awake 21 movement, an evangelical organization which is working to elect right-wing Christians to local offices. Both are using their churches, Tuckaleechee Baptist Church and Grandview Baptist Church in Maryville,  as the address for their campaigns, and have posted almost identical campaign videos on their churches’ Facebook pages. These violations of the rules for tax-exempt religious organizations have been reported by FFRF-ETC to FFRF-national, which is preparing a complaint.