Tennessee bill would require public schools to teach the Bible as literature, allow prayer and create legal ramifications for noncompliance

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Tennessee legislator is seeking to require that public schools in the state teach the Bible and create legal ramifications for noncompliance.

The bill, HB 1491, is sponsored by State Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, who has also sponsored bills this term saying same-sex marriages do not have to be recognized and that the definition of a person should be expanded to begin at fertilization.

If passed, the bill would enact the “Protecting Religious Liberty and Expression in Public Schools Act,” which would require “public schools to use the Bible within their instruction and to provide for a period of prayer and reading religious texts.”

The bill does not require schools to teach the religion of the Bible, however, and must allow students to remove themselves from lessons involving the Bible. Here is an excerpt from the bill’s language:

A public school shall not: (1) Teach the Bible as religious dogma; (2) Coerce a student to believe or accept the Bible as divinely inspired; or (3) Teach the Bible in any manner that violates the Establishment Clause as interpreted by the Supreme Court of the United States. - 8 - 010194 (c) A public school shall excuse any student from Bible-related instruction upon written request from a parent or guardian, or from a student who is 18 years old or older.

The bill would also create a “legal remedy for those adversely affected by the noncompliance of this bill, or by the enforcement of the separation of church and state doctrine or the Establishment Clause.”

Public schools would be required to teach the Bible to all students, except those with a written request to be excluded. Those lessons would focus on the Bible being taught “as literature,” with teachings about Israel’s history, the Old and New Testaments, Jesus, the history of the early Christian church and the Bible’s influence on western civilization.

“This bill does not permit a public school to teach the Bible as religious dogma, coerce a student to believe or accept the Bible as divinely inspired, or teach the Bible in any manner that violates the Establishment Clause as interpreted by the Supreme Court of the United States,” the summary states.

Under the nation’s Establishment Clause, the government is not allowed to establish or favor a specific religion.

Schools would also be required to provide students and staff with a “designated period of prayer and reading of the Bible or religious texts on each school day.”

Any student, parent or guardian who feels as though their school has failed to comply with the bill’s requirements would be entitled to declaratory and injunctive relief, court costs and reasonable attorney fees.

People would also be able to file lawsuits to enforce the separation of church and state or the Establishment Clause; however, if they do so, the bill says they will be liable to pay costs and reasonable attorney’s fees of the prevailing party.