Salvador Bill to Use Bible in Schools Faces Legal Objections and Public Pushback

Overview

• The proposal from councilor Kênio Rezende would recognize the Bible as a paradidactic resource in public and private schools, with optional student participation and a stated non-religious intent.
• Procedural status is contested: G1 reports the bill still awaits committee review and a plenary vote, while A Tarde says it was approved and sent for the mayor’s sanction and later regulation.
• Attorney Ives Bittencourt told G1 the measure likely violates Brazil’s constitutional principle of state laicity and exceeds municipal competence over pedagogy.
• Influencer Bárbara Carine criticized the initiative as inappropriate for public schools and as reinforcing prejudice against Afro-Brazilian religions in a majority-Black city.
• In parallel actions, the council previously approved a bill targeting so-called 'christophobia,' and a separate new proposal in the Bahia state assembly would add Bible studies content on an optional basis.