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.
The U.S. Department of Treasury states the nation’s motto has been on U.S. currency since 1864 “largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War.” The motto can also be found in the fourth verse of “The Star Spangled Banner,” though U.S. citizens are mostly familiar with the poem’s first verse because it is the national anthem.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a law making “In God We Trust” the nation’s motto in 1956.
Louisiana’s Legislative Fiscal Office stated in a fiscal note attached to the law that local school districts will not experience a “material impact” in expenses under this law. Although the schools are free to choose how they want to display the motto, the law states the minimum requirement of display can be a paper sign.
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