More than 300,000 students across the nation are expected to take part in Focus on the Family’s third annual “Bring Your Bible to School Day” on Thursday, Oct. 6. This student-led event is a simple way for children and teens to celebrate religious freedom and to share the hope and inspiration they receive from reading their Bibles.

Enthusiasm for “Bring Your Bible to School Day” continues to grow. Last year, about 155,000 students participated in the event and #BringYourBible went viral when students from across the nation posted selfies with their Bibles on social media.

This year’s “Bring Your Bible to School Day” comes as confusion continues over students’ religious freedoms. The following cases have happened over the last 12 months alone:

• A police officer was dispatched to a 7-year-old boy’s home after he shared Scripture verses and Bible stories with friends during free time.
• A 12-year-old student was instructed to give an “All About Me” PowerPoint presentation to her sixth-grade class, but when she wanted to include a slide with her favorite Bible verse, she was told Bible verses were banned.
• Elementary students in Kentucky were looking forward to their performance of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”— until they learned school officials planned to censor Bible verses about the birth of Jesus read by the character, Linus.

“Students don’t lose their religious freedoms when they arrive at school in the morning,” said Focus on the Family president Jim Daly. “The First Amendment recognizes the rights of students to talk about their faith in school and read their Bible outside of classroom time. ‘Bring Your Bible to School Day’ encourages children and teens to understand their religious freedoms and to be a voice of hope and bring their whole selves to the classroom.”

Newsboys, an award-winning Christian band, are joining forces with “Bring Your Bible to School Day” for the second consecutive year. Individuals who sign up to participate will have a chance to win a free trip for four to a Newsboys concert in Dallas.

Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, a longtime advocate of religious freedom in public schools, is again partnering with Focus on the Family and will offer students free legal representation in the event their rights are violated.

Students can follow “Bring Your Bible to School Day” on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and find more information, including the official video and stories from students and parents, at www.bringyourbible.org. The official hashtag is #BringYourBible.

Focus on the Family, which reaches about 238 million people in 130 countries, is a global faith-based ministry that helps families thrive. It provides help and resources for strengthening believers in their faith and sharing the gospel; building resilient marriages that reflect God’s design; equipping parents to raise their children with a thriving faith; advocating for the preborn, orphaned and life at every stage; and engaging the culture through a biblical worldview. Visit Focus at FocusontheFamily.com or on Facebook and Twitter.