A new South Dakota law requires all 149 public schools across the state to display “In God We Trust” in their most prominent areas, prompting outrage from those who disagree with reinforcing the religiously-rooted national motto to children, CNN reported.
State lawmakers who introduced the bill say it is aimed at inspiring patriotism in schools.
Govenor Kristi Noem signed the law back in March, but it officially went into effect this month.
It mandates that the motto must be on display for all public school students to see beginning in the 2019/2020 school year. As for how it is displayed, that’s up to the principal.
Some options include stenciling the motto onto walls, displaying it via a plaque, or creating student artwork to decorate the halls with its words.
There are some requirements as to how big the motto must appear and where in the school it should be displayed.
The words must feature on a display at least 12 inches square, and must be visible in a prominent location within the schools.
“A prominent location is a school entryway, cafeteria, or other common area where students are most likely to see the national motto displayed,” the bill reads.
The law does not provide any funding for schools to go towards creating these motto displays.
In an interview with NPR , Rapid City Area Schools district community relations manager Katy Urban estimated it will cost $2,800 to stencil the motto in all 23 of its schools.
Despite the cost, she said she believes the inclusion of the motto is “a really great thing of our schools and our districts.”
While it doesn’t foot the cost, the mandate does protect the schools from any potential legal trouble.
Any schools facing lawsuits in response to the movement will be defended for free by the state attorney general. In addition, if any of the schools become responsible for legal fees or monetary damages, the state will personally take on that debt.
There has been concern for the the potential alienation this motto would cause for non-Christian students.
In an interview with Associated Press , Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-founder of the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, denounced the law.
“Our position is that it’s a terrible violation of freedom of conscience to inflict a godly message on a captive audience of school children,” she said.
Even some students have voiced their disapproval for the motto, and have proposed modifications.
A group of Stevens High School students in Rapid City approached their school board to suggest the sign include mention of science, Allag, Yahweh, the Spirits, Buddah, Brahman, and “ourselves”, in additon to “God.”
One student, Abigail Ryan, said she felt like the modification would better represent America.
“I think that’s a really foundational element of American society, that we are a cultural melting pot and it’s really important that we make all people who come to America to feel welcome and to be more in accordance with the First Amendment, since we all have the freedom of religion,” she told KOTA TV .
Although the board listened to the students’ suggestions, no action was taken towards moving forward with the proposed modifications.
“In God We Trust” was first adopted as America’s motto in 1956 when then-President Dwight d. Eisenhower signed the proposal into law. It appears on the country’s paper money as well as on coins.
h/t: CNN
