Wylie ISD joins Abilene ISD in officially accepting 'In God We Trust'
The Wylie ISD at its regular meeting Monday accepted a donation of eight national motto plaques - "In God We Trust" - from the local organization, Abilene Freedom League.
The Abilene ISD, at its last meeting, accepted a similar donation.
In the previous session, Texas legislators passed Senate Bill 797, which requires public schools to display "In God We Trust" posters if donated to the school.
Represented by Tyler Lineweaver, the local organization Monday presented the WISD with eight framed posters.
Those were accepted by the board, which had no choice.
"We do have to accept them," WISD Superintendent Joey Light said.
The framed posters must be displayed in a "conspicuous place in each building of the school," according the bill. The Wylie ISD has eight campuses.
The task is greater for the Abilene ISD, which received 22 similar posters. That was short of the 24 needed to cover all campuses, according to spokesman Jordan Ziemer.
The donation was not on the meeting agenda but two AFL representatives spoke during public comment, and presented the donation, he said.
The bill requiring display was written by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, and made law in 2021.
“The national motto, In God We Trust, asserts our collective trust in a sovereign God,” Hughes previously tweeted.
The national motto was established in 1956, when the Cold War was heating up.
Unofficially, the U.S. motto was "E pluribus unum" ("Out of many, one.") which Congress in 1782 approved as the motto for the seal of the United States.
"E pluribus unum" still appears on U.S. currency.
In 1954, the phrase "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Wylie ISD joins Abilene ISD in officially accepting 'In God We Trust'
