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Arkansas students will soon start learning about the “religious and moral beliefs” American was founded upon thanks to the passage of HB 1705 in April. We spoke to State Rep. Hope Duke, the lead sponsor of the bill to get her take on how the new law will impact children.
In the 2026-2027 school year, Arkansas children will be learning about how faith and freedom influenced the creation of the U.S. by way of our Founding Fathers. The bill was signed into law by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on April 8, along with a slew of others, many related to religious freedom.
Hope Duke On HB 1705
“The purpose of this legislation is for students to learn the intent and meaning behind the documents that created our government. In order for our country to go the right direction, we have to understand the reasoning behind the path our Founding Fathers chose. This bill will ensure students in Arkansas will study how the religious and moral beliefs of the Founding Fathers influenced those decisions. Their intent matters,” Duke told Million Voices in an exclusive statement.
“As a parent and former history teacher it has weighed on me how little our students know about our nation’s history and our government. This bill elevates these areas in our education standards. There is now clear direction to study all the Founding Fathers, their documents, influences and decision making processes. We are not telling students what to believe. We are simply looking at what the founders believed and how it shaped our country. It is crucial for citizens to understand where their rights come from and how to ensure they remain protected.”
Religious Freedom In America’s Classrooms
There are countless bills flying around the country right now, all of them focused on bringing Christ back to the classroom. You might think America has strict rules on the separation of church and state, but this is untrue. The legalities around religious freedom in public spaces didn’t exist in the U.S. until the early 1970s, when the Supreme Court created something called the “Lemon test” for determining whether declaring religious expressions were unconstitutional.
Thankfully, in 2022 the Supreme Court reversed course on the Lemon test, giving Americans the freedom to bring Christ back to our public spaces. We’ll be sure to bring you all the latest on religious freedom news from across the country, as well as myriad ways to take action in your local, state, and federal governance on this issue.
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Our country and our beliefs that the “Founding Fathers” had when creating the laws that created America are the same value now as it was then.
There’s a reason America became prosperous with a relatively harmonious society.
Without a foundation of “Traditional Values” instilled in our youth, they become targets of evil political parties & activist groups.
There’s a good reason Democrats/ Socialist are working to squash it all and create their own laws.
The Constitution protects us from Socialism taking hold over a Constitutional Republic, which democrats spend every waking moment destroying our Great Country!