State Lawmakers Pave Way for Religion In School
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JACKSON, Tenn. — State lawmakers are considering allowing holiday greetings and religious displays in public schools. The senator sponsoring the bill says the legislation would clarify what is acceptable and what is not. “The main thing is religious freedom,” Father Thomas Kirk, of St. Mary‘s Catholic Church, said. A new bill making its way through the state legislature allows schools to put up displays like a menorah, Christmas tree, or a nativity scene. The proposed legislation requires the display to include more than one religion or one religion and at least one secular symbol. “Children know these stories and it would be important that those just be reinforced,” Kirk said. They see well this is part of the world.” The bill would allow schools to teach students about traditional winter holidays. They could use phrases like “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Hanukkah.” “People should be able to express their religion anyway they want to,” George Pulliam, of Hardeman County, said. Some have concerns. “It should be allowed, but it’s going to be hard to regulate I think deciding who gets what and when,” Brian Kirk, of Jackson, said. The display cannot include wording that encourages a particular religious belief. If the bill passes, it would take effect July 1. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, passed unanimously in the Senate. It must pass in the House before moving on to the governor‘s desk.
