A new law in Louisiana requires public schools to make sure “In God We Trust” has a place in their classrooms.
The law, HB 8, went into effect on Tuesday and requires public schools to display the national motto of the United States — “In God We Trust” — in every classroom of every building.
According to the new law, each public school system “shall display the national motto in each building it uses and classroom in each school under its jurisdiction.”
The Louisiana government has provided additional guidelines on how the national motto is to be displayed, including size and composition.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JULY 30, 1956, ‘IN GOD WE TRUST’ IS DECLARED NATIONAL MOTTO
Kamau Johnson, a 5th-grader, looks out at his peers from his bus as he waits to leave for the day following school at Langston Hughes Academy Public Charter School in New Orleans on Wednesday, May 7, 2008. (Nikki Kahn/The The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“The nature of the display shall be determined by each governing authority with a minimum requirement that the national motto shall be displayed on a poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches,” the law reads. “The motto shall be the central focus of the poster or framed document and shall be printed in a large, easily readable font.”
The law does not compel schools to spend money on the displays, and allows for funds or signage to be donated.
WEST VIRGINIA ADVANCES PUBLIC SCHOOL MANDATE ON ‘IN GOD WE TRUST’
In this photo illustration the phrase “In God We Trust” is seen on an American 10 dollar bill. (Photo by Hugh Pinney/Getty Images)
The bill was signed in June by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards — part of a rising conservative movement across the country to center the national motto in civic life.
Other states have recently passed similar laws mandating the display of the national motto in public facilities — including Florida, Arkansas, South Dakota, Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas.
TEXAS SCHOOLS HANGING ‘IN GOD WE TRUST’ SIGNS AFTER NEW STATE LAW REQUIRING DONATED SIGNS BE POSTED
Election officials affix voting notices to the wall, below a plaque that states “IN GOD WE TRUST,” at the Hazleton City Hall polling station in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
“In God We Trust” is most famously rendered on every piece of U.S. currency.
The spiritual nature of the phrase has for decades inspired legal action from some anti-religious activists who claim its official use by the United States infringes against citizens with different beliefs.
