Senate approves bill to make Aiken Bible available as historical resource in certain social-studies classrooms
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Summary
After extended debate, the Senate passed Senate Bill 388 requiring public schools to make the Aiken Bible available to fourth-, eighth- and tenth-grade U.S. history classrooms if private donations provide copies. Sponsors called it a historical resource; some senators warned the three-sentence bill lacks guardrails on instructional use. Vote: 30–4.
The West Virginia Senate on Jan. 29 passed an engrossed Senate Bill 388 that would require public elementary and secondary schools to make the Aiken Bible available to fourth-, eighth- and tenth-grade U.S. history classrooms, provided private donations supply copies and no public funds are used.
Sponsor and floor leader remarks described the Aiken Bible as a historical primary source with content tied to the founding era. "This bill requires public elementary or secondary schools to make the Aiken Bible available to all fourth grade, eighth grade, and tenth grade social studies classrooms subject to private donations being available for this purpose," the senator from Mason said, arguing the text supports historical instruction and aligns with content standards.
Several senators raised objections to the bill’s brevity and lack of explicit instructional guardrails. The senator from Cabell questioned whether the law would permit teachers to use the full Bible for instruction, repeatedly prompting the sponsor to reply that "the bill does not say a teacher must use that to teach" and that the provision simply makes the volume available in classroom libraries as a choice resource. Another floor opponent warned the bill "has no guardrails" and could be used for instruction absent limitations.
Supporters argued the measure is narrowly framed as a historical resource, not a directive to teach religion, and emphasized that no public funds may be used to purchase the books. After extended debate about historical context and constitutional boundaries, the Senate passed the bill by machine vote: 30 yays, 4 nays, 0 absent.
What happens next: The clerk will notify the House. If enacted, the requirement applies where private donations provide copies; the bill text does not itself specify enforcement mechanisms or restrict teacher-led instruction.
Sources and provenance: Floor debate and roll-call vote recorded Jan. 29, 2026.
