01/21/2026
Update from Senator Molly Donahue! Thanks for fighting for us! 💙
SF510
📚 It may promote one religion’s scriptures in public school curriculum in a way that disadvantages students from diverse faiths or no faith.
What the bill does:
SF 510 would authorize Iowa public school districts to offer elective social studies courses that focus on religious scriptures such as the Hebrew Scriptures, Old Testament, or New Testament of the Bible. It directs the state Board of Education to adopt rules for these courses.
Why people say this could be bad for students
1. It risks favoring one religion over others in a public school setting
Opponents — including religious leaders, educators, and civil rights advocates — argue that a course focused narrowly on the Bible could effectively privilege Christian religious content in schools. 
This is despite safeguarding language in the bill about neutrality.
Critics say elective courses about religion can be appropriate in public schools, but laws that highlight only one tradition risk sending a message that only that religion is academically or culturally central, which can alienate students from other faith traditions or secular backgrounds.
2. It may create confusion about religious neutrality and legal boundaries
While the bill’s language states that such courses “shall not endorse, favor, promote, or disfavor any particular religion,” opponents point out that in practice it can be difficult to ensure truly neutral instruction in a class centered on scripture.
Without strong curricular safeguards, there’s a risk some instruction could drift toward religious advocacy or doctrinal interpretation, which public schools are legally prohibited from doing under the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
3. It potentially undermines inclusive education
Public schools serve students from many religious and non-religious backgrounds. Courses focused narrowly on one religious text — even as an elective — may unintentionally marginalize students whose beliefs or identities aren’t reflected in the material.
Inclusive social studies typically survey a wide range of world beliefs, histories, and cultural traditions so students can learn respectfully about diverse perspectives.
In short
The harm critics identify is not simply that students could study the Bible, but that legislating a Bible-centric elective without similar emphasis on other world religions or secular perspectives could blur the line between academic study and religious endorsement, and make some students feel excluded or uncomfortable in a public school environment.
