Georgia a forerunner of classroom courses on the Bible

Georgia’s law created two optional, nondevotional classes on the history and literature of the Old and New Testaments. Local school systems, though, were given little information about appropriate lessons, classroom materials or teacher qualifications.

During the 2007-08 school year — the first year the classes could be taught — only 37 of the state’s nearly 440 high schools had the class, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Tommie Williams, the state senator who was the lead sponsor of the legislation to offer the classes, said many schools were reluctant to hold the classes because they were fearful of lawsuits. Some school officials said few students were interested in the courses.

By 2011, The Associated Press reported few Georgia school districts offered the courses for another reason: budgets tightened after the Great Recession.

Nonetheless, in 2019, Georgia lawmakers passed Senate Bill 83, which added the Hebrew Scriptures and expanded what could be taught for credit, including courses on the law, government, art, music, customs, morals and values.

Louisiana became the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every classroom in public schools and colleges. Civil liberties groups quickly filed a lawsuit against Louisiana’s law saying it’s unconstitutional. On Thursday, Oklahoma’s chief education officer announced every classroom in the state from grades 5 through 12 must have a Bible and all teachers must teach from the Bible in the classroom.