The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Indiana Bill Requires Public Schools to Teach the Bible and Prohibits Denying Benefits Based on Religious Separation
Last action · January 12, 2026: Representatives Prescott, DeVon, Davis added as coauthorsSponsors: Craig Haggard and 3 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Public schools and charter schools across Indiana would be required to teach the Bible as literature in every grade level from kindergarten through grade 12 under House Bill 1232. The measure also prohibits governmental entities from denying benefits to any person on the basis of the , church-state separation, or Article 1, Section 6 of the Indiana Constitution, while allowing individuals adversely affected by a violation to file a civil lawsuit.
Schools face new curriculum mandates and potential litigation costs, while residents gain the right to sue governmental bodies that withhold benefits due to church-state s, with mandatory attorney fees for prevailing parties.
- The Indiana General Assembly operates as the state's primary legislative body, convening annually to enact statutes governing education, state agencies, and civil law. context
- Establishment clause jurisprudence under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution has been the subject of numerous landmark Supreme Court rulings cited within the bill text, such as Everson v. Board of Education and Lemon v. Kurtzman. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Public Schools and Charter Schools
Public schools and charter schools are required to implement a K-12 curriculum teaching the Bible as literature and may receive defense and indemnification from the attorney general under specific conditions.
Students and Parents
Students experience mandatory Bible literature instruction across all grades unless excused by a written parent request.
Governmental Entities and Officials
Governmental entities and public employees are prohibited from denying benefits based on church-state separation doctrines and face civil liability and mandatory fee-shifting if they initiate unsuccessful litigation.
Key Facts
- Public schools and charter schools must teach the Bible as literature across all grade levels from kindergarten to grade 12.
- Instruction must include age-appropriate material on the history of Israel, Old and New Testament moral teachings, the life of Jesus, the early Christian church, and Western civilization influence.
- Schools are strictly prohibited from teaching the Bible as religious dogma or coercing students to believe it is divinely inspired.
- Parents may submit a written request to excuse their student from Bible-related instruction.
Show all 9 facts
- The attorney general must provide advice on compliance and defend public schools in lawsuits arising from the required instruction.
- The state pays all judgments, settlements, and litigation expenses if the attorney general represents the school, but pays nothing if the attorney general does not represent them.
- Governmental entities and public officials are prohibited from denying benefits to any person based on the establishment clause, church-state separation, or Article 1, Section 6 of the Indiana Constitution, subject to specific exceptions.
- A person adversely affected by a denial of benefits under church-state separation rules may file a civil action seeking declaratory relief, injunctive relief, actual damages, court costs, and attorney's fees.
- Governmental entities and their attorneys are jointly and severally liable for court costs and reasonable attorney's fees to a prevailing party when the entity brings a dismissed or unsuccessful claim relating to these benefit denials.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are public schools allowed to teach the Bible as a religious text?
Can a student opt out of the Bible instruction?
What happens if a school faces a lawsuit over Bible instruction?
Can a person sue a government entity for denying a benefit based on church-state separation?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 12, 2026HouseRepresentatives Prescott, DeVon, Davis added as coauthors
- Jan 5, 2026HouseIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Education
- Jan 5, 2026HouseAuthored by Representative Haggard
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Biblical Literature Curriculum in Public Schools
The bill shifts from permissive or local curriculum choices to a mandatory statewide requirement for teaching the Bible as literature in every grade from kindergarten through grade 12.
Conditional State Indemnification for Schools
State payment of judgments and litigation expenses is strictly contingent upon whether the attorney general undertakes the legal defense of the public school.
Connected Entities
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment15Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools