Attorney General Ken Paxton directed all Texas Independent School Districts (ISDs) not covered by a federal judge’s order barring the Ten Commandments from classrooms to display them in compliance with state law.
“From the beginning, the Ten Commandments have been irrevocably intertwined with America’s legal, moral, and historical heritage,” Paxton stated. “Schools not enjoined by ongoing litigation must abide by S.B. 10 and display the Ten Commandments. The woke radicals seeking to erase our nation’s history will be defeated. I will not back down from defending the virtues and values that built this country.”
School districts affected by the judge’s decision include Alamo Heights, North East, Austin, Cypress Fairbanks, Lackland, Lake Travis, Fort Bend, Houston, Dripping Springs, Plano, and Northside.
Paxton’s direction comes as U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued an injunction against a Texas law calling for the Ten Commandments to be displayed.
“Even though the Ten Commandments would not be affirmatively taught, the captive audience of students likely would have questions, which teachers would feel compelled to answer,” Biery wrote. “There is also insufficient evidence of a broader tradition of using the Ten Commandments in public education, and there is no tradition of permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms.”
Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed the Ten Commandments bill in June. Under the law, the display must be in a “size and typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom in which the poster or framed copy is displayed” and be “at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall.”
