§2117.  Reading and posting of certain writings, documents, and records; prohibition; limitations; dissemination to local school systems

A.  No public elementary or secondary school governing authority, superintendent of schools, or school system administrator, nor any public elementary or secondary school principal or administrator shall prohibit any teacher in a public school system of this state from reading and posting in a public school building or classroom or at a school-sponsored event any excerpts or portions of the following:

(1)  The preamble to the Constitution of the state of Louisiana.

(2)  The Declaration of Independence.

(3)  The United States Constitution.

(4)  The Mayflower Compact.

(5)  The national motto.

(6)  The national anthem.

(7)  The pledge of allegiance.

(8)  The writings, speeches, documents, and proclamations of the founding fathers and presidents of the United States.

(9)  Organic documents from the Pre-Colonial, Colonial, Revolutionary, Federalist, and Post-Federalist eras.

(10)  United States Supreme Court decisions.

(11)  Acts of the United States Congress.

B.  No public elementary or secondary school governing authority, superintendent of schools, or school system administrator, nor any public elementary or secondary school principal, administrator, or teacher, in the course and scope of his duties in such capacity, shall censor or suppress in any way any writing, document, record, or other content of any material listed in Subsection A of this Section or any portion thereof based upon religious or other reference or content in any such material.

C.  By not later than the start of the 1997-1998 school term, the state superintendent of elementary and secondary education shall notify all public school system superintendents of the provisions of this Section.  Each superintendent shall then disseminate to all employees within his school system a copy of the provisions of this Section.

Acts 1997, No. 415, §1, eff. June 22, 1997.