On the surface, it looks like a very deliberative process. We think enforcement could be challenging.

The key will be at the local level, and stakeholder groups working to ensure our educators understand this new law. We plan to solicit educator input and give that input to policymakers.

Ultimately, people on both sides of this debate want students to become good citizens, who are able of safeguarding our democracy and stewarding our nation toward a greater understanding of our shared American values. 

JC Bowman, Professional Educators of Tennessee

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What is the Proposed Rule For Prohibited Concepts In Instruction? It is a legislative effort by the State of Tennessee to make it easier for local parents to expose and challenge the efforts of blatantly racist churches to use public school systems and teachers to proselytize their strange religious beliefs.

Why is it necessary to empower local parents to do this?  There are several reasons.

First, you might recall that local Chattanooga Leader Patrick D. Hampton exposed the efforts of the Hamilton County Schools to proselytize Hamilton County School teachers with blatantly racist religious beliefs apparently in an effort to have teachers actively participate in the strange religious proselytizing in their classrooms.

Second, you might recall that concerned parents have to this day never received a simple explanation for why Hamilton County Schools or teachers should be proselytizing racist religions in the first place when religious proselytizing by government is supposed to be prohibited by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Third, you might have noticed that some public school teachers in Tennessee believe that their personal racist religious beliefs are so sacred that they intend to violate any legislated limits on their public school proselytizing.  And, their defense for their proposed unlawful behavior is incredibly shoddy scholarship falling far short of the expectations of parents and citizens for public schools and teachers.

We can only wonder what the group of people called, “Professional Educators of Tennessee” intend to actually do about this deplorable issue. Mr. JC Bowman’s statement seems to indicate purely political neutrality. I don’t see neutrality working for anyone when the shoddy scholarship of racist government religious proselytizing is the issue.

Donald O'Connor