Image Credit: Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A pair of Republican lawmakers are sponsoring legislation that would permit school board meetings to be opened with prayer.
Known as the “Tennessee Religious Freedom Act,” the proposed law would authorize a local board of education meeting to open with a prayer led by a school board member “as long as the prayer does not require participation of any person in attendance at the meeting and no person is harassed or coerced to participate in the prayer.”
Representative Rick Eldridge (R-Morristown-District 10) is the sponsor of House Bill 1834 (HB1834) with Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon-District 17) as the sponsor of Senate Bill 1957 (SB1957).
In the text of the bill, the sponsors point to the U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment, stating that the framers of the constitution “intended for citizens to have the right to freely exercise their religious beliefs” and that school board members are not excluded from exercising religious expression.
Several court cases are also cited that lay the framework for legislative bodies to engage in prayer, finding that it is not “impermissible coercion” for those wishing not to participate.
In 2023, Pody sponsored a different religious freedom bill for Tennessee clergy.
The bill, which became law in early 2024, provides protection for all individuals within the state from being made to perform wedding ceremonies if they have objections to the marriage based on conscience or religious beliefs.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
