Hundreds of public schools in Louisiana will have to display the national motto of “In God We Trust” on their buildings by August 2019, after Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the proposed bill into law last week.
The governor’s signature May 23 means public school authorities must now display the national motto in each building used by a school under its jurisdiction. The law also requires Louisiana’s social studies curriculum to teach students about the motto by the 5th grade, a provision that expands upon the existing law that orders schools to teach students about the U.S flag and other “patriotic customs.”
When the law was initially proposed to Louisiana’s senators in March, State Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, stressed it would help address “moral decay” in the public school system. She later told lawmakers she believes “this will serve to be an improvement to our schools” because they cannot assume students learn about the “patriotic history and founding of this country” when students are at home.
