Religious Literature and Its Impact Act

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Policy Status

  • Type: Model Policy
  • Status: Draft
  • Date Introduced: July 23, 2026

Task Forces

  • Education and Workforce Development

    • Tags

  • 2026 Annual Meeting

    • Summary

    The purpose of this Act is to ensure that students may engage, in an objective and academically rigorous manner, with these texts’ historical and literary impact as part of the public-school curriculum. 
    Draft

    Religious Literature and Its Impact Act

    Section 1. Short Title.  

    This Act may be cited as the “Religious Literature and Its Impact Act.”   

    Section 2. Purpose and Findings.   

    • (a) The Legislature finds that the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the New Testament have significantly influenced the development of language, literature, law, art, history, and civic ideals in the United States and the broader Western tradition.   
    • (b)The purpose of this Act is to ensure that students may engage, in an objective and academically rigorous manner, with these texts’ historical and literary impact as part of the public-school curriculum.   

    Section 3. Definitions.   

    For purposes of this Act:   

    1. “Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)” and “New Testament” refer to the canonical texts commonly recognized by those names for academic study.   
    2. “Objective academic instruction” means teaching that is neutral as to religious truth-claims, non-devotional, and focused on recognized literary, historical, and cultural analysis.   
    3. “Board” means the [STATE] [State Board/Department of Education].   

    Section 4. Scope.   

    This Act applies to all public schools, including charter schools, serving grades K–12. Private schools and homeschools are not subject to this Act.   

    Section 5. Curriculum Inclusion.   

    • (a) Statutory Amendment (use if your state lists subjects in statute).  The [STATE EDUCATION CODE: § [CODE CITE]] is amended to include in the enrichment curriculum: “Religious literature, including the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on history and literature.”   
    • (b) Board Rule Directive (use if curriculum is set by rule/standards).  Within [9] months of enactment, the Board shall adopt standards requiring objective academic instruction on religious literature—specifically the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament—and their impact on history and literature within existing English language arts and social studies courses or as an elective offering.   

    Section 6. Academic Neutrality and Constitutional Compliance.                                                 

    • (a) Instruction under this Act must be objective, age-appropriate, and non-devotional, and may not promote, endorse, or disparage any religion or non-religion.   
    • (b) Students may not be compelled to accept or reject any religious belief, engage in religious exercises, or express personal religious views as a condition of course credit.   
    • (c) Course content shall focus on literary and historical influence, including, where relevant, the texts’ contributions to language, motifs, themes, allusions, legal and civic ideals, and major works of art and literature.   

    Section 7. Course Design and Implementation.                                                

    • (a) Districts may deliver the content by:   
      1. integrating it into existing ELA or social studies courses; or   
      2. offering a standalone elective focused on literary and historical impact.   
    • (b) Instruction shall utilize primary-source excerpts alongside reputable secondary scholarship appropriate to grade level.   
    • (c) The Board shall publish model units, reading lists, and exemplar lessons aligned to state standards, freely available online.   

    Section 8. Educator Qualifications and Training.                                                   

    • (a) The Board shall identify or approve professional development to equip educators to deliver objective academic instruction on the subject matter.   
    • (b) Districts should assign teachers with appropriate certification in English language arts, history/social studies, or related fields to teach the content.   

    Section 9. Parental Transparency.                                                     

    • (a) Districts shall post on their websites the syllabus or scope and sequence, primary texts or excerpts to be studied, and applicable policies for parental review, consistent with student privacy laws.   
    • (b) Districts shall accommodate parent review of materials and any opt-out rights provided under [STATE] law.   

    Section 10. Rulemaking; Timeline.                                                      

    • (a) The Board shall promulgate any rules necessary to implement this Act within [9] months of enactment.   
    • (b) District implementation shall begin no later than the [school year beginning YYYY–YYYY].   

    Section 11. Construction; No Private Right of Action. 

    This Act creates no private right of action. Alleged violations shall be addressed through existing administrative procedures and remedies.   

    Section 12. Severability.   

    If any provision of this Act or its application is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision, and to this end the provisions of this Act are severable.   

    Section 13. Effective Date.   

    This Act takes effect on [Month Day, YEAR].