Title 17. Education

Chapter 1. General School Law

Part III. Public Schools and School Children

Subpart D. Required Courses of Study

17:262      Flag and patriotic customs of the United States; required instruction

A. (1) A program of instruction on the flag of the United States of America shall be provided to students by the fifth grade as part of the social studies curriculum in the public elementary schools of this state. Such instruction, at a minimum, shall include the history of the American flag, etiquette, customs pertaining to the display and use of the flag, and such other patriotic customs as provided by and in accordance with the provisions of 36 U.S.C. 170 et seq. on patriotic customs. 

(2) The program of instruction on patriotic customs required by this Section shall include instruction on the national motto, “In God We Trust”, and each public school governing authority shall display the national motto in each building it uses and classroom in each school under its jurisdiction. The nature of the display shall be determined by each governing authority with a minimum requirement that the national motto shall be displayed on a poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches. The motto shall be the central focus of the poster or framed document and shall be printed in a large, easily readable font. 

B. This Section does not require a public school governing authority to spend its funds to purchase national motto displays. A governing authority may spend its funds or donated funds to purchase the displays and may accept donated displays. 

C. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall adopt rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act¹ to ensure the proper implementation of this Section. 

Added by Acts 1999, No. 672, § 1. Amended by Acts 2018, No. 410, § 1, eff. May 23, 2018; Acts 2023, No. 264, § 1.

Footnotes

¹Administrative Procedure Act, see R.S. 49:950 et seq.