Bill to display Ten Commandments in public schools in Texas advances
Texas could become the largest state in the nation to require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments under legislation advancing through the Republican-led statehouse. The House approved Senate Bill 10 in its third and final reading over the weekend of May 24.
The bill mandates that every classroom visibly display a poster of at least 16 by 20 inches or a framed copy of an English version of the Ten Commandments. The language would be the same from the King James Bible as used on the monument outside the state Capitol in Austin.
Why are supporters pushing the bill?
Supporters believe the Ten Commandments and teachings of Christianity are at the core of American history.
“We should be encouraging our students to read and study their Bible every day,” Republican State Rep. Brent Money said. “Our kids in our public schools need prayer, need Bible reading, more now than they ever have.“
What are opponents saying?
Critics argue that the bill violates the Constitution’s separation of church and state and would infringe on others’ religious freedom.
One of the major teachers’ unions in Texas opposes the Ten Commandments bill.
“Public schools are not supposed to be a Sunday school,“ Texas State Teachers Association Spokesman Clay Robison said.
Texas is one of 16 states where lawmakers have pursued such Ten Commandments bills. In June 2024, a federal court struck down a law in Louisiana that required all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. The state is now appealing that decision.
Houston Public Media cited several Democrats who said that about one-third of Texans are neither Christian nor Jewish and, as a result, do not consider the Ten Commandments to be at the center of their beliefs.
Democratic representatives attempted to amend the Texas bill to require schools to display other religious texts or translations, but their efforts failed.
What happens from here?
The bill now goes back to the Senate, which is expected to approve it, then send it to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The governor is expected to sign it into law. The measure would take effect in September 2025.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
