Contending Florida’s school children need closer ties to the state’s foundations, a state House subcommittee on Tuesday unanimously backed a bill to require the posting of the words “In God We Trust” in a “conspicuous place” at all public schools.
“It’s important for our students to realize the civic history of our state, and one portion of that history is the fact that we do trust in God,” said Rep. Ralph Massullo, a Citrus County Republican who is co-sponsoring the measure.
Rep. Larry Lee Jr., a St. Lucie Democrat, shared the sentiment, observing that too many youth don’t go to church or even respect life.
“We look at what has happened to a lot of our young people today,” Lee lamented. “We’re taking God out of everything. This country was built on God.”
Maggie Garrett, legislative director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, meanwhile cautioned that lawmakers best think twice about this proposal. For while they profess that it’s about the state motto, their comments say otherwise.
“They know what they’re doing,” Garrett said. “They’re saying it’s important, and we need to trust in God and we need to bring God back. … Those are really religious concepts and ideas, and it’s a religious purpose.”
