Freedom From Religion Foundation monitoring Ten Commandments directive in Washington County, Tennessee

A group currently at odds with President Trump over exploiting Christianity for profit has a watchful eye on the Washington County Board of Education after a directive to post the Ten Commandments in all of its public schools.

Freedom From Religion Foundation Legal Director Patrick Elliott told Bristol Broadcasting that school leaders are interfering with the rights of students and parents with the mandate approved Tuesday night.

The board enacted the choice under a new Tennessee law that allows the commandments to be displayed in a prominent area as a historic document alongside the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

“The First Amendment guarantees that students and their families, not the government, get to decide which religious beliefs, if any, they adopt and what role those beliefs play in their lives,” Elliott said in a statement sent to Bristol Broadcasting.

Elliott noted the foundation would provide legal help to any Washington County parent who opposes the placement.

“In other states, we are working with a coalition that includes the ACLU on cases challenging Ten Commandments displays in schools” said Elliott.

(GRAPHIC: Property of Freedom From Religion Foundation, Madison, Wisconsin)