Last week, I posted about how the Franklin County School Board in Tennessee was debating whether or not the Parent-Teacher Organization should be praying at meetings:

The school board’s attorney suggested that a moment of silence would be okay, but a prayer crossed the line — Since the PTO was a school-sponsored group, it was violating the law.

Well, the school board has finally figured out how to handle this.

Oh, they’re still allowing the prayers. But they’re also telling teachers that they can’t be on the board of the Parent-Teacher group:

In a 7-1 vote, a motion approving the amendments to the School Support Organizations policy was approved… The School Support Organizations policy now reads: “Parent organizations and Parent-Teacher Organizations are neither school-sponsored clubs nor student initiated clubs. They are considered independent, ‘outside clubs or groups,’ which must meet the terms of this policy to be able to use the name, mascot or logo of a school or the school district to solicit or raise money, materials, property, securities, services, or other things of value. Neither principals nor teachers of any school shall be on any parent organization or Parent-Teacher Organization board of directors.”

You read that correctly: Teachers (and principals) can’t help run the Parent-Teacher Organization. And the PTO is no longer sponsored by the school.

Which I guess keeps the district above the law, but basically defeats the whole purpose of have a parent-teacher group in the first place.

Franklin County, Tennessee: Where public school teachers are told to get out of the car because Jesus needs to take the wheel.

(Thanks to Brian for the link)



