Georgia —

Following intervention by FFRF, the Pike County (Ga.) School system has worked with bus drivers to ensure that religious worship music is not to be played on district-controlled school buses.

A district parent reported to FFRF that a district bus driver played religious music on the bus every day while picking up and dropping off students. FFRF was informed that the music is specifically Christian worship music, and per a message and video that the bus driver recently publicly posted to their Facebook account, they played worship music every morning to “set the tone” for the bus. FFRF’s parent-complainant, who is nonreligious, expressed concern that their children would be confused and negatively affected by their bus driver playing religious music.

“As the district is aware, students have the First Amendment right to be free from religious indoctrination in their public schools, including when being transported by district-controlled school buses driven by school district employees,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote.

FFRF received a response from the district’s legal representative Cory O. Kirby after the complaint was filed. “School district administration has met with the bus drivers to remind them of the requirements of the First Amendment as it relates to the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses,” Kirby wrote. “Every effort is made at the school level to ensure that the rights of all stakeholders are protected.”

The post Thanks to FFRF, the Pike County School system worked with bus drivers to ensure that religious music is not played on school buses. (October 2025) appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.