(CNN) As Louisiana students gather supplies and class schedules for a new school year, administrators are ensuring legally mandated "In God We Trust" signs are hung in every public school building in the state.

Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill in May 2018 requiring the phrase be displayed in all public schools in the state by the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year.

The bill gives school administrators discretion over how the phrase is displayed, but there's "a minimum requirement of a paper sign."

The measure also requires students be educated on the history of "In God We Trust" and its status as the national motto.

Shelby Ainsworth, principal of West Monroe High School in West Monroe, Louisiana, praised the bill, telling CNN affiliate WAFB , "I still feel strongly that America is a Christian nation."

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