Texas Mandates Display of Ten Commandments in Public School Classrooms
In a legislative move that places Texas at the forefront of a controversial education policy, Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law a bill requiring all public school classrooms in the state to exhibit the Ten Commandments. This mandate positions Texas as the largest state to attempt such a requirement, which may face legal hurdles over concerns about the separation of church and state.
The newly signed law is expected to ignite legal challenges from opponents who argue it breaches constitutional limits on religious expression in public education. The debate mirrors past disputes in other states, such as Louisiana, where a similar statute was recently deemed unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. Arkansas also faces ongoing legal proceedings over comparable legislation.
The Texas bill passed with relative ease through the Republican-dominated state legislature in the session concluding on June 2. Republican state representative Candy Noble, who co-sponsored the bill, remarked, “The focus of this bill is to look at what is historically important to our nation educationally and judicially.”
In addition to the Ten Commandments display requirement, Governor Abbott approved another measure that permits school districts to offer students and staff a daily voluntary period for prayer or religious reading during school hours. These initiatives are part of a broader effort by conservative states to integrate religious elements into public education.
The law stipulates that public schools display a 16-by-20-inch poster or framed version of a specific English rendition of the commandments, despite variations in translation and interpretation across different faiths. Texas public schools serve nearly 6 million students across approximately 9,100 institutions, encompassing a diverse student body that includes many with no direct connection to the Ten Commandments.
While proponents argue that the Ten Commandments underpin the United States’ judicial and educational values, critics, including several Christian and other religious leaders, contend that such measures infringe on religious freedoms. A letter opposing the bill, signed by numerous Christian and Jewish faith leaders, highlighted the religious diversity among Texas students.
Governor Abbott has a history with this issue; as state attorney general, he successfully defended the display of a Ten Commandments monument at the Texas Capitol before the Supreme Court in 2005. Meanwhile, Louisiana’s attorney general has vowed to appeal their court’s ruling on a similar law, potentially taking it to the U.S. Supreme Court.
