Georgia Lawmakers Look to Protect Religious Messages on Public School Uniforms
Georgia lawmakers are currently debating legislation that seeks to prevent state-funded schools from discriminating against the religious expression of student athletes.
House Bill 870 and Senate Bill 309 propose banning state-funded schools from partnering with athletic associations that don't allow students to wear religious messages on their athletic uniforms.
The legislation was introduced in response to the Georgia High School Association [GHSA], which recently disqualified a runner in an Atlanta-area track meet for wearing a headband with a Bible verse on it.
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The GHSA had argued that all athletic participants are required to wear the same uniform, and therefore religious attire goes against their policy.
Sen. Burt Jones, R-Jackson, who is co-sponsoring the Senate bill, said during a recent hearing that the incident involving the track player encouraged him to introduce the legislation.
The student, Jones argued, "was just expressing his belief in his Creator," adding that he found the student's disqualification "a little bit troubling."
The two bills, which carry similar language, state that "high schools that receive state funding cannot participate in an athletic association which prohibits religious expression on the clothing of student athletes."
Representative Rick Allen, R-Augusta, added in a statement to NBC 26 that the religious freedom rights of students must be protected.
"Students should never feel afraid to share or wear their faith in fear they may be suspended or disqualified," Allen told the local media outlet.
"Their freedom of expression is protected under the First Amendment-and a headband with a Bible verse is just about the most peaceful demonstration of faith I have ever seen. If we are going to go to such extremes to protect the rights of those with different views than this student's, we must also dedicate the same amount of effort in protecting his," Allen added.
While the bills have received support across the state, especially from Republican lawmakers, members of the GHSA have argued that it is a slippery slope to allow students to wear messages on their uniforms while competing in school athletics.
"We've got to be careful," Brooks Coleman, the House Education Committee Chairman and an official with the GHSA, recently told lawmakers, as reported by The Augusta Chronicle.
"We just don't want to allow [...] children to come out and write all kind of things on their bodies, all kinds of ornaments on their uniforms," Coleman added.
Georgia's Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle has also voiced his opinion on the subject, writing an Op-Ed for The Calhoun Times that called the ban an attack on religious freedom.
"Given there are no safety issues or unfair competition issues associated with this display, it's hard to see GHSA's action as being anything other than an attack on the free exercise of faith," Cagle argued.
Along with demands for religious expression, Senate Bill 309 and House Bill 870 also call on state-funded schools to be prohibited from barring certain nonmember schools from participating in athletic matches.
The purpose of this part of the bill, according to Rep. Brian Strickland (R-McDonough), is to allow rural, private schools to join matches with public schools in different parts of the state.
