Suit Challenges Religious Activities In Tennessee County's Schools

Yesterday in federal court in Nashville, Tennessee, two former students and two families of current students filed a lawsuit challenging a pattern of religious activities in the Cheatham County (TN) school system. The suit, filed by the ACLU of Tennessee (press release), objects to incidents involving the distribution of Gideon Bibles in classrooms, teacher-endorsed prayer at football games, school-sponsored prayer delivered by students at graduation ceremonies, the teaching of intelligent design, and the display of a cross in a high school classroom. The complaint (full text) in Doe v. Cheatham County Board of Education, (MD TN, filed 11/16/2009) alleges that school officials proselytize students in class and during extracurricular activities. The lawsuit contends that all of these activities violate the Establishment Clause as well as Art. I, Sec. 3 of the Tennessee Constitution, and asks for an injunction against continued religious activity in the schools. It also asks for an injunction barring retaliation against plaintiffs for bringing the lawsuit, and seeks nominal damages and attorneys' fees. Yesterday's Tennessean reported on the lawsuit.