Ten Commandments Posters Required in Southern Public School Classrooms

Four states—Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Alabama—have enacted laws mandating that a poster of the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public-school classroom, from kindergarten through college. The statutes require the poster to be “conspicuous” and readable by anyone with average vision, but they do not obligate districts to purchase the posters; donated copies are acceptable. In response, teachers across the region are either complying, resigning, or openly defying the mandates, while parents and civil-rights groups have filed multiple lawsuits challenging the laws as violations of the Establishment Clause.

The Guardian

The mandates arrive amid a broader push by the Christian right to increase religious presence in public education, including proposals for school chaplains and religious charter schools. The Supreme Court is slated to hear two challenges to the Texas law this fall, and a 1980 Supreme Court decision striking down a similar Kentucky statute remains the primary precedent cited by opponents.

The Guardian

The ACLU’s Daniel Mach, director of the Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, characterizes the statutes as part of a concerted effort to erode the constitutional wall separating church and state. A federal judge in Arkansas, however, has already struck down the state’s mandate, finding no justification for displaying the commandments in subjects such as calculus or woodworking.

The Guardian

History teacher Chris Dier of New Orleans sued Louisiana over the requirement, framing the case as a defense of civil liberties and religious freedom. In Texas, band director Johnnie Cotton resigned after 42 years, stating that politics and religion have no place in public schools. Kindergarten teacher Taria Usher of a Houston-area district labeled the mandate “Christian nationalist bullying,” supplementing the required poster with displays of Islam, Buddhism and yoga. Parents such as Ted Lowe argue that religious instruction belongs in homes and houses of worship, not in government-funded classrooms; Baptist pastor Mara Richards Bim echoed this sentiment, citing the separation of church and state as integral to her faith.

The Guardian

• “It’s a defense of many different types of values, including civil liberties and religious freedoms,” — Chris Dier

The Guardian

• “I believe very strongly that politics and religion have no place in the public schools,” — Johnnie Cotton, band director

The Guardian

• “I’m personally Christian, but professionally, a secular teacher,” — Taria Usher

The Guardian

• “When it comes to religious instruction like the Ten Commandments, it’s my job as a parent to teach it,” — Ted Lowe

The Guardian