ACLU Enters Agreement With School Board Barring Bible Distribution

The ACLU of Tennessee announced yesterday that it had entered a Settlement Agreement (full text) with Wilson County (TN) school officials under which the schools agree to refrain from permitting the distribution of Bibles to students on school grounds during school hours. A demand letter (full text) was sent to the school board last October after an assembly was held for 5th graders at the district's Carroll-Oakland school. A member of the Gideons spoke, and each row of students was called up to take a Bible. Though their teacher told them it was not required they do so, not surprisingly all the students took a Bible. The parents who complained to the ACLU said their daughter took it only because of peer pressure. Back in their classroom, the teacher instructed students to write their names in their Bibles for their personal use.