Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cheatham County urges Tennessee lawmakers to clarify school prayer and student speech
Summary
The county commission unanimously approved a resolution asking Tennessee's General Assembly to codify that school boards may open meetings with a non‑coercive personal prayer and to permit a student to recite a brief passage of religious text during school hours.
Cheatham County commissioners on Dec. 15 passed a resolution urging the Tennessee General Assembly to adopt law clarifying school-related religious expression. The resolution, introduced by Commissioner David Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Walter Weakley, passed by roll-call vote 12–0.
The text cites recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including Kennedy v. Bremerton School District and Town of Greece v. Galloway, and asks the General Assembly to permit (1) school board members to recite a non‑coercive personal prayer to open meetings and (2) students to recite a passage of religious text during a one‑minute daily period over a school public address system or, if the PA system is not working, in-person to an assembly.
The resolution directs the county clerk to transmit a signed copy to the county’s state legislative delegation and to encourage other Tennessee counties and school boards to adopt similar resolutions. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the measure (Resolution 4).
What’s next: The resolution is an advisory request to the state legislature and does not change local school policy by itself; it asks the county’s legislative delegation and statewide associations to consider the language and possible adoption.
