03/19/2026
For Immediate Release:
Public Statement on Religious Bills in Alabama Legislature
Interfaith Alliance of Central Alabama
March 17, 2026
Members of the Interfaith Alliance of Central Alabama join our voices against harmful bills unconstitutionally forcing religious practices into Alabama schools, infringing on the rights of public school students, their families, and faith communities.
The Alabama Legislature has several such bills moving through the House and Senate chambers, including: HB 43 & 511, requiring school boards to institute policies for school prayer; HB 179, the school chaplains bill and HB 216, requiring the Ten Commandments poster to be hung in schools. Additionally, HB 363, No Protests in Churches, is an unnecessary overreach, as Alabama faith communities are already protected by applicable laws.
We believe in the power of prayer, and that government-sponsored prayer diminishes the independence and freedom of religious institutions. Prayer is a deeply personal matter best left to families and faith communities, not government officials. Requiring prayer by law, even when left to local officials, removes the essential student-initiated requirement of religious expression in public schools, and further marginalizes minority religious communities and invites teasing and bullying to students who participate who do not express certain religious views.
The school chaplain bill places minimally trained religious persons in our schools and places an undue burden on minority religious groups in Alabama to provide chaplains for their students. Chaplain training is dependent upon the program of study, and as this is an unregulated religious training, the state has no way of ensuring chaplains would be properly trained to meet the needs of all students. Professional chaplains serve in institutions where access to spiritual support is limited. This bill unnecessarily muddles the line between church and state.
The Ten Commandments bill imposes scripture on students, violating the rights of parents, families, and faith communities to decide if, when, and how religious doctrine is taught to children. The First Commandment according to the bill provided, “You shall have no other gods before me,” explains how this bill is problematic for public schools. The wording in the Ten Commandments in this bill is also a theological interpretation of this holy text - there is no consensus among even the religious groups who follow the Ten Commandments on the exact wording. Removing this scripture from its context of a holy text and faith community proves problematic for interpretation and undermines the authority of parents, faith communities, and faith leaders in providing the necessary tools to apply this text to a student’s religious beliefs. Additionally, John Quincy Adams, quoted in the poster, would not have been supportive of this bill, considering he was a Unitarian, describing the Ten Commandments as inappropriate for public policy as they leave out the most important role of government - caring for its citizens.
The Interfaith Alliance of Central Alabama implores the Alabama legislature and Governor Ivey to ensure none of these bills become law, as they are unconstitutional, unjust, and inhibit the rights of free exercise and mandate a certain religious practice in our public schools. We encourage instead for the state to focus on feeding students, raising teacher pay, providing mental health professionals in schools, prioritizing safety, and updating textbooks so our students have a better education regardless of zip code throughout the state.
