A new law in South Dakota now requires all public schools across the state to feature the "In God We Trust" motto on display. Students returning to school this fall will be greeted by the message, which supporters say is meant to "inspire patriotism."
Gov. Kristi Noem signed the law in March, and it went into effect this month. The law requires that the message is prominently displayed in all 149 South Dakota school districts on the first day of classes this year.
"Some have plaques, others have it painted on the wall, maybe in a mural setting," Associated School Boards of South Dakota executive director Wade Pogany said, describing how schools plan to implement the new law. The display of the quote is required to be at least 12 inches by 12 inches in size. In one school "it was within their freedom wall. They added that to a patriotic theme," he said.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has condemned the law, calling it part of a "stealth campaign" to inject religion into state legislation. "The motto 'In God We Trust' is inaccurate, exclusionary, and aimed at brainwashing American schoolchildren into believing that our nation is a theocracy," the organization said in a news release Thursday.
The group urged people to contact their legislators to oppose 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 schoolchildren," co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor said.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is damning an exclusionary new South Dakota law that mandates displaying an “In God... Posted by Freedom From Religion Foundation on Thursday, July 25, 2019
According to the Rapid City Journal, administrators in Rapid City have already finished stenciling the motto on to the walls of its 23 public schools, costing a total of $2,800 — apparently the most affordable option. The law does not provide funding to install the displays.
The Journal reports a group of students from Stevens High School in Rapid City proposed making the motto more inclusive by alternating God with Buddha, Yahweh and Allah, and including terms like "science," but the board took no action on that.
The U.S. Treasury Department says "In God We Trust" first appeared on coins in 1864 and was adopted as the country's official motto in 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the proposal into law. It first appeared on paper money the following year.
GrandpaSweatpants on July 26th, 2019 at 22:36 UTC »
Near lifetime South Dakota resident here with some insight/ thoughts to share:
It's important to note that students at one of the larger high schools approached the school board with a logo that represented all sorts of religions and beliefs, including science, etc. It was meant to celebrate diversity but still honor positive influences in various people's lives. Of course, the incredibly right wing school board didn't listen. Native Americans make up a large population of the people here and this feels like a move to shit on them even harder than we already have . If you're ever interested in just how bad it is here, read about the Pine Ridge reservation, the most impoverished area in the entire country. Although South Dakota is a conservative state, there is a fair amount of progressive people here. Kristi Noem, the governor who helped push this law just barely won her election and she is vehemently disliked by quite a few people. For instance, she stopped the possibility of hemp farming here because she thought it would result in spending lots of money on drug dogs to determine if farmers were growing hemp vs. weed. She's insane. The 2 larger cities here, Sioux Falls and Rapid City, are both really great places to live. Sioux Falls especially has turned into a super progressive fun place to be (our pride fest this year was huge). I know there's quite a few problems with this state but there's some amazing natural beauty as well as some really awesome things happening here. Fuck Kristi Noem.MSGinSC on July 26th, 2019 at 19:14 UTC »
Alternative headline: "South Dakota would rather spend millions in lawyer fees rather than on education."
leftnotracks on July 26th, 2019 at 19:05 UTC »
South Dakota must like losing constitutional challenges.