A newly proposed Texas law would require all elementary and secondary schools to post the Ten Commandments in each class

Senate Bill Number 1515, if enacted,

would require all public elementary and high schools in the state to hang a poster-sized version of the 10 Commandments in each classroom. The poster must be prominently displayed and easily visible to students, staff, and visitors. The law would apply to all public schools in the state, regardless of whether they are secular or faith-based. [i]

The poster should include all 10 of the Ten Commandments and must read as follows:

“The Ten Commandments

I AM the LORD thy God.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven images.

Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Thou shalt not kill.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.” [ii]

Sponsored by Texas state Senator Phil King, The Senate Education Committee is scheduled to consider the bill this week. Opponents of the bill argue that it violates the separation of church and state and could result in taxpayers’ money being used to purchase the posters. [iii]

Supporters such as Sen. King indicate that the Supreme Court of the United States’s (SCOTUS) recent ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District replaced the Lemon test of the Establishment Clause with a test of whether governmentally displayed religious content is in line with the history and tradition of America. [iv]

Thus, King asserts that the SCOTUS’ decision grants people the freedom to practice a religion that had been restricted for many years – a freedom that was essential to the founding of America. He further states that his bill would remind students in Texas of the significance of the Ten Commandments, a fundamental part of American and Texas law. [v]

Senate Bill Number 763 is raising questions due to its potential implications. For example, it proposes to allow school districts to employ chaplains to perform the duties of school counselors. [vi]

Chaplains would be responsible for counseling students psychologically, which is integral to promoting mental health. In addition, the bill seeks to address the lack of mental health services available to students in many school districts and provide them with the resources they need to help them with their mental health. [vii]

However, the bill has raised concerns about the separation of church and state, as many have questioned whether it is appropriate to have religious figures providing psychological counseling services to students. Additionally, there are concerns about how chaplains and other religious figures would be trained to offer such services and whether they could adequately do so, given their lack of formal training in psychological counseling. [viii]

Furthermore, there are concerns about whether this bill would be seen as a form of proselytizing, as some believe that religious figures should not be providing such services in a public school setting. It has also been suggested that the bill may violate the First Amendment, as it could be seen as an endorsement of religion. [ix]

References

[i] Senator Phil King,S.B. No. 1515(Apr. 3, 2023)

[ii]Id.

[iii]Id.

[iv] Senator Phil King,Author’s/Sponsor’s Statement of Intent S.B. 1515(Apr. 3, 2023)

[v]Id.

[vi] Senator Mayes Middleton,S.B. 763(Apr. 5, 2023)

[vii]Id.

[viii]Id.

[ix]Id.