A new law that took effect this month requires the display of the national motto “In God We Trust” in all Louisiana public school classrooms – a move some opponents say will blur the line between church and state.
House Bill 8, authored by Rep. Dodie Horton (R-Haughton), took effect Aug. 1 after near-unanimous votes in the Louisiana House of Representatives and Senate. Supporters stress that they view the display not as the endorsement of a single religion but a general recognition of a “higher power.”
HB 8 requires the words “In God We Trust” be displayed in a poster or frame that is 11 inches by 14 inches. Under the previous law, the motto had to be displayed in public school buildings, but the new law mandates the display in all classrooms in public schools, charter schools and higher-education campuses.
Public funds are not required to put the displays in place, since donated funds and donated displays are acceptable to carry out the provisions of the new law, according to an analysis of the bill by the state Legislature.
The New Orleans Secular Humanist Association (NOSHA), which monitors what it sees as a continuing erosion of the separation of church and state, expressed concern about the policy.
“At NOSHA, we believe that any references to ‘higher powers,’ other than the physical forces of nature, or mankind itself, are to be found only in religious territory – practically and metaphorically – and that this law violates minor children’s and adult students' protection from religious proselytizing in public spaces,” a statement emailed to the Louisiana Record by NOSHA’s board president, Charlotte Klasson, says.
The displays could lead students raised by nonreligious parents to feel pressured or intimidated from expressing their views on the issue, according to the NOSHA statement.
“This is just another ‘feel-good’ message that could have adverse unintended consequences for some kids unnecessarily,” the statement says, “but hopefully in a matter of weeks or months, this signage will fade invisibly into the background of a cheerfully decorated classroom wall.”
At least 17 states now have laws in place requiring the display of “In God We Trust” in schools, according to the education news website Education Week. The phrase became the national motto during the Cold War period in 1956.