Bill > HF273

This bill establishes the Student Religious Liberties Act, which aims to protect students' rights to express religious viewpoints in public schools without discrimination. The bill ensures that students can voluntarily express religious beliefs in various school settings, including class assignments, extracurricular activities, and public speaking events. Specifically, students may express religious views in homework, artwork, and oral assignments without penalty, and will be evaluated based on academic standards of substance and relevance. The bill allows students to organize religious groups, pray, and wear clothing with religious messages to the same extent as non-religious activities. Public schools must create a limited public forum for student speakers and adopt policies that do not discriminate against religious viewpoints. The bill requires school districts to develop policies that provide neutral criteria for student speaker selection, ensure appropriate speech standards, and include disclaimers that student religious expressions do not represent the school's official position. The Minnesota Commissioner of Education will develop a model policy to help schools implement these guidelines. The bill emphasizes that while religious expression is protected, schools can still maintain order, protect safety, and enforce content-neutral speech policies. The provisions will become effective for the 2025-2026 school year and beyond.

Education

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF0273&ssn=0&y=2025