Wilberforce Academy of Knoxville v. Knox County Board of Education
What's at Stake
ACLU, ACLU of Tennessee, and partners are representing six Knox County taxpayers dedicated to supporting public education and the separation of church and state who oppose Wilberforce Academy鈥檚 effort to force the county to authorize and fund it as a religious public charter school. The taxpayers, public school parents and faith and community leaders, object to their tax dollars funding a public charter school that will indoctrinate students into one religion, in violation of Tennessee and federal law and our nation鈥檚 longstanding commitment to the separation of church and state. They want to ensure that public schools remain secular and open to all.
Summary
Wilberforce Academy of Knoxville v. Knox County Board of Education, was filed in November 2025 by a religious organization that wants to run a public charter school鈥攆unded by taxpayers鈥攖hat, according to the school鈥檚 own complaint, would provide an 鈥渆xplicitly biblical and Christian education.鈥�
The group of taxpayers represented by the ACLU, ACLU of Tennessee, and partners were granted permission in January 2026 to join the lawsuit on the side of the defendants, the Knox County Board of Education and its members. Their motion to intervene explains that charter schools are part of Knox County鈥檚鈥痯ublic education鈥痵ystem, and as such, cannot advance religious doctrine.鈥疞ike all public schools, charter schools must accept and serve all students and may not be run as religious schools. They asked to participate in this case in order to safeguard these interests.
The taxpayers are represented by Education Law Center, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the 老熟女午夜福利, the ACLU of Tennessee, Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the law firm Morrison Foerster pro bono.
Legal Documents
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01/30/2026
Order Granting Intervention -
01/27/2026
Proposed Intervenor-Defendants' Motion to Intervene
Date Filed: 01/30/2026
Court: District Court (E.D. Tenn.)
Affiliate: Tennessee
Date Filed: 01/27/2026
Court: District Court (E.D. Tenn.)
Affiliate: Tennessee
Press Releases
Tennessee Parents and Faith Leaders Seek to Block Religious Public School