Northeast Tennessee Legislative Delegation Files Bill "To Stop Islamic Religious Indoctrination In Tennessee Schools"

  • Wednesday, January 20, 2016
The Northeast Tennessee legislative delegation, including Rep. Matthew Hill (R-Jonesborough), Rep. Timothy Hill (R-Blountville) and Rep. Micah Van Huss (-Johnson City)  announced they have filed legislation "to officially stop Islamic religious indoctrination in Tennessee schools."

They said the decision comes "after intense public outcry from parents, students, and school administrators that current school textbooks overemphasize Islam while excluding other religions like Christianity and Judaism."

Rep.

Hill said, “I have heard from people all over our community who share my deep concern about the leeway that is allowed in the current standards. “We have been working on this issue for almost two years now, with no clear solution. My colleagues and I in the General Assembly see there is now a direct need to file legislation on behalf of citizens across Tennessee if we hope to solve this problem once and for all.

“No one has a problem with world religions being taught from a historical perspective. The problem is that right now in Tennessee, the standards are so broad they open the door to proselytizing our public school students. While other bills have been filed in an attempt to fix this problem, this piece of legislation has real teeth, and we believe it will be a giant step forward in fixing this important issue.”

“I did not fight radical Islam in Iraq just to come home and find our children being indoctrinated,” Rep. Van Huss said.

They said, In 2015, middle school parents in Maury County were up in arms after learning their children were being instructed to recite and write “Allah is the only god” as part of a world history project. In another section of their work, students were assigned a Five Pillars of Islam project that included the translation of the pillar of “Shahada” as being, “There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is his prophet.” Similar situations have been reported across the state, including multiple instances in the tri-cities area, the legislators said.

Under the newly filed House Bill 1905, any inclusion of religion in textbooks, instructional materials, curriculum, or academic standards can only be for educational purposes and are strictly prohibited from being used to promote or establish any religion or religious belief.

In addition, the legislation places into law several key measures that they said constituents have requested, including:

  • Requiring local school boards to adopt a policy regarding the appropriate inclusion of religion in local curriculum and instructional materials, with the opportunity for public comment before adoption;
  • Requiring local education agencies to make publicly available a syllabus for all grade 6-12 social studies, science, math, and English courses. The syllabus must include a course calendar detailing standards, objectives, and topics covered, major assignments required, and procedures for parents to have access to all instructional materials to be used;
  • Requiring the state board of education to initiate a revision process for the Tennessee social studies standards adopted in 2013 to ensure new standards do not promote religion and do not amount to indoctrination or proselytism in any way.
Breaking News
New Hope Fire Department Disputes TWRA Report On Kayaker Rescues
  • 3/28/2024

New Hope Fire Department Corey Comstock disputed a report by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency about the rescue of 33 kayakers from extremely high winds near Nickajack Cave on Monday. ... more

Woman Seriously Injured In House Fire Thursday Afternoon
Woman Seriously Injured In House Fire Thursday Afternoon
  • 3/28/2024

A woman sustained life-threatening injuries in a house fire on North Moore Road Thursday afternoon and was rescued by Chattanooga firefighters. Hamilton County 911 received a call at 12:18 ... more

Motorcyclist Hit Speeds Of 170 MPH; Posted Video Of Outrunning Police
Motorcyclist Hit Speeds Of 170 MPH; Posted Video Of Outrunning Police
  • 3/28/2024

A motorcyclist fled on Sunday, from a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempting to make a lawful stop on Highway 27. Since that time, the deputy has been working leads to identify the ... more