Oppose Turning Public Schools into Sunday Schools

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Tennessee lawmakers are considering HB 1491/SB 1714, which would require public schools to teach the Bible as literature, as well as the history of Israel and the Christian Church, and provide a designated period for prayer that students could opt into. While students would have the option to opt out of the Bible class, the default would be to enroll them, creating pressure on students to take a class on one particular religion in Tennessee's public schools. Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, tn.gov.

The dangers of HB 1491/SB 1714 are obvious. This bill would:

Push the ideology of a single religion: Tennessee students practice a variety of religions, or none at all, and automatically enrolling students in a class to learn only one creates an uncomfortable and unwelcoming learning environment for many students.
Create legal risks for teachers and schools:Already burdened teachers would need to teach from a scholarly perspective and know the legal limitations.
Undermine the separation of church and state: The bill's sponsor claims that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment does not apply to state laws and directly refutes the separation of church and state, a protection Americans rely on to safely practice, or not, a religion of their choosing.

Tell your representatives to vote "No" on HB 1491/SB 1714 and prevent public schools from being turned into Sunday schools.

The recipients:

Your State Senator and Representative

The message:

The dangers of HB 1491/SB 1714 are obvious. This bill would:

Push the ideology of a single religion: Tennessee students practice a variety of religions, or none at all, and automatically enrolling students in a class to learn only one creates an uncomfortable and unwelcoming learning environment for many students.
Create legal risks for teachers and schools:Already burdened teachers would need to teach from a scholarly perspective and know the legal limitations.
Undermine the separation of church and state: The bill's sponsor claims that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment does not apply to state laws and directly refutes the separation of church and state, a protection Americans rely on to safely practice, or not, a religion of their choosing.

Tell your representatives to vote "No" on HB 1491/SB 1714 and prevent public schools from being turned into Sunday schools.

The recipients:

Your State Senator and Representative

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Subject Vote "No" on HB 1491/SB 1714

I urge you to vote "No" on HB 1491/SB 1714, which would require our public schools to teach the Bible and the history of Israel and the Christian Church.

Message Body

I urge you to vote "No" on HB 1491/SB 1714. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

[Your Address]

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Oppose Turning Public Schools into Sunday Schools

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