Image Credit: Gino Bulso / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Republican State Representative Gino Bulso has filed the “Protecting Religious Liberty and Expression in Public Schools” Act, attempting to take aim at so-called separation of church and state.
HB1491 asserts that “deep prejudice” exists against ecclesiastical and Christian organizations which has led to an incorrect interpretation of the idea of separation of church and state.
“The idea of separation of church and state departs from the religious liberty guaranteed by the Constitution of the State of Tennessee and the religious liberty guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States by restricting not only government but also religion and by discriminating against churches and other ecclesiastical religion, in contrast to more individualistic spirituality,” the bill reads.
To remedy this discrepancy, Bulso’s proposal would require public schools to teach students the Bible as literature and an “age-appropriate introduction to the history of Israel, the stories, and the moral and ethical teachings of the Old and New Testaments, the life of Jesus, the history of the early Christian church, and the Bible’s influence on western civilization.”
The bill clarifies that a school shall not teach the Bible as religious dogma and cannot coerce a student to believe or accept the Bible as divinely inspired. It also provides a way for students to be excused from the Bible-based teachings via written request by the student’s parent or the student themselves if they are at least 18 years old.
Additionally, the measure says a public school shall, on each school day, provide students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a designated period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text. The school may require that the prayer period be provided before regular school hours or “by any other method recommended by the attorney general and reporter of legal counsel for the district or school.”
However, students cannot participate in the prayer and Bible reading time unless they submit a consent form that acknowledges the student, parent, or employee has a choice to participate, a statement that the person does not object to participating, and a waiver surrendering any rights to bring legal action and releasing the school and district from liability.
It specifies that the prayer time cannot be a substitute for instructional time and would also prohibit the Bible or other religious texts from being read over a “public address system”.
Furthermore, it stipulates that a prayer or reading of religious texts does not happen in the physical presence of, within the hearing of, or in any manner that would “constitute an injury in fact” within the meaning of the Tennessee and U.S. Constitutions, to people who have “not consented” or who have revoked their consent.
Parts of Bulso’s legislation appear very similar to a bill passed in Texas during their 2025 legislative session which creates optional prayer time for students in public schools, though Texas Senate Bill 11 does not discuss the separation of church and state or require any Biblical teaching.
“I think this is exactly the right time to have this issue brought back into public square both because you know our Supreme Court has, I think, more properly aligned in most recent decisions and because I think we just need to have prayer back in our schools,” Bulso said.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
