(The Center Square) – First Liberty Institute sent a letter to a Tennessee school board, urging approval of a family’s request to start faith-based athletic clubs, after the principal placed the proposal on hold.
A Tennessee dad, Josh Gibb, and his sons, students at Smith County Middle School and Carthage Elementary School, sought to lead faith-based athletic clubs, where students can pray, encourage one another in their faith, and listen to a devotional. Both schools are in Carthage, Tennessee.
The principal placed the request on hold pending guidance from the Smith County Board of Education, saying that the school wants to “meticulously follow all state and federal laws,” according to the letter.
“We appreciate the district’s commitment to following the law,” said Holly Randall, attorney for First Liberty, a national organization dedicated to defending religious freedom. “Federal and state law, along with both constitutions, clearly protect students’ rights to form religious clubs.”
The letter warns that denying the faith-based club would violate the First Amendment and requests that the Smith County Board of Education approve the faith-based athletic club to uphold students’ religious freedom.
“It is a fundamental principle of the First Amendment that students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate,” the letter states.
Jeremy Dys, senior counsel at First Liberty, told The Center Square the group aims to help the district comply without the case going to court.
“We want to be a help to the school district. We want to resolve this issue on behalf of our clients and maximize the amount of freedom, not just for our clients, but for students current and future within the school district,” Dys told The Center Square in an exclusive interview.
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The letter cited religious liberty precedents. Dys noted the founders envisioned a public square “where all perspectives are welcome and can compete through free speech for truth. It’s a new day in our country, but it will take time for Americans to welcome that (free speech) again.”
First Liberty Institute wants the school to write back within 30 days with plans ensuring the students can lead a faith-based athletic student club at both schools.
