MSCS Interim Superintendent Toni Williams, School Board members, faith-based organizations, and community partners held a press conference on December 13, 2023 at the Board of Education to discuss the recent decision to permit the Satanic Temple to rent space at Chimneyrock Elementary School. These organizations and faith-based leaders came together to show their support for MSCS and the school. 

To view the press conference video, click here.  

Read Interim Superintendent William’s message below as shared during the press conference: 

Memphis is a city that overflows with goodwill.  Nonprofit organizations, faith-based communities and countless heroes rent facilities from Memphis-Shelby County Schools and volunteer to serve our children and our community.  They provide academic support, enrichment activities, and mentorship. The staffers and volunteers of these groups operate out of passion, not politics.

I, too, am a woman of faith. That’s no secret. And as a graduate of this District, I have witnessed firsthand the great work of our faith-based communities.

As the Superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, my sole focus is our students, families, and community. I've championed their needs, rallied support, and never shied away from tough conversations to advocate for my students’ needs.

Like many of you, I have strong beliefs and resonate deeply with the questions and concerns in our community surrounding a club’s upcoming rental of school space. I want to assure you that I do not endorse or support the beliefs of the organization at the center of the recent headlines. I do, however, support the law. As superintendent, I am duty-bound to uphold our board policies, state laws, and the Constitution. 

Let’s not be fooled. What we’ve seen in the past 24 hours is an agenda initiated to ensure that we cancel all faith-based organizations that partner with our school district. Because the law says what you do for one organization, you must do for all. 

We have a dedicated group of strong faith-based leaders who support MSCS and continue to invest in our schools, our students, and our community. 

THIS is Memphis. And this is the community that made me. At MSCS, we have approximately 80 schools supported by faith-based organizations! That’s about half of our schools that benefit from the longstanding support of faith-based organizations. They tutor our students, donate school supplies, host special events for our teachers, buy winter coats, and offer much-needed social-emotional support in times of grief and neighborhood unrest. Some have even planted beautiful gardens to help our students connect with the restorative power of nature. 

In the wake of recent news stories, some have demanded that we ban all faith-based organizations, but that penalizes thousands of children, feeds fear, and bends to outsiders’ agendas.  

Schools are more than just places for academics. They are safe havens where staff and volunteers develop the extraordinary potential of tomorrow’s leaders. Today, this is a call to action. I challenge you not to push away in fear but rather to push in with support. Memphians are smarter than simple narratives. We can support the First Amendment and support our students at the same time. 

I am calling on our officials, charity leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, and all who care about the future of Memphis, and most importantly care about the future of children, to unite. Adopt a school, volunteer, donate winter coats and supplies, and support our schools. Our children need every positive influence our community can offer. 

Become a volunteer by visiting scsk12.org/face2 or sign up for opportunities to adopt-a-school!