KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Christian school planned for the Cedar Bluff area has sued the Knox County Board of Education, citing First Amendment violations.

The Wilberforce Academy of Knoxville is challenging the board’s decision to deny it charter school status, saying they were denied "solely because they were religious."

The lawsuit claims that Tennessee’s charter school limitations violate the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits governments from treating citizens or groups differently because of religious beliefs.

"The First Amendment forbids this open and explicit discrimination against religion. Tennessee need not establish a charter-school program. But because it has, it cannot exclude some participants “solely because they are religious," the lawsuit says.

Th

See Full Page