Sen. Amy Grady, R-Mason, holds a copy of the Aitken Bible in the Senate in Charleston, West Virginia, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Photo by Will Price/West Virginia Legislative Photography)
The Senate is scheduled to vote on a bill on Thursday would require certain public school classrooms in West Virginia to display the Aitken Bible after members opposed a change that would also include the Catholic Bible.
The Aitken was the first English-language translation of the Bible, printed in the United States in 1782.
This particular version of the Bible would therefore have to be displayed in fourth, eighth and tenth grade classrooms Senate Bill 388. In those classes, students will be taught about the American Revolution, said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Amy Grady, R-Mason, a fourth-grade teacher.
Grady said the separation of church and state required by the U.S. Constitution would prohibit teachers from teaching based on the biblical text.
“The meaning of this particular Bible has to do with historical significance, it is not religiously based, nor does it mean that the teacher has to use it to teach,” she said.
Senate Minority Leader Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, tried to amend the bill to require display of the Catholic American Bible in classrooms as well.
“Isn’t it true that many Americans came to this country to flee religious persecution? I believe they were fleeing your particular brand of Protestantism that is reflected in this Bible,” Woelfel told Grady during the Senate debate.
Woelfel received support from Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, who said the inclusion of the Catholic version of the Bible, which includes 46 books, compared to the 39 books of the Protestant Bible.
“I think that for a historical context, it’s important to also have the Catholic Bible, not just as a Catholic but as a historian, for students who are part of these classrooms,” Weld said.
Sen. T. Kevan Bartlett, R-Kanawha, opposed the amendment, emphasizing that the Aitken Bible would provide “significant historical context” for West Virginia students.
“This will even allow students to see what printing was like in the 18th century,” he said.
Woelfel’s amendment was voted out 8-25. Six Republican senators joined the Senate’s two Democratic members to vote for the amendment.
The law prohibits the operate of public funds to purchase the Aitken Bible. Schools can accept private donations and operate them to purchase the Aitken Bible.
The measure also requires the state’s charter schools to display the Aitken Bible.
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