Texas Governor Signs Law Requiring Ten Commandments in All Public School Classrooms

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10 into law on Saturday, making Texas the nation's largest state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public school classrooms. The law will take effect at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year.

"The focus of this bill is to look at what is historically important to our nation educationally and judicially," said Republican state representative Candy Noble, a co-sponsor of the bill.

Display Requirements and Specifications

The new law mandates that all public schools hang a "durable poster or framed copy" of the Ten Commandments in a conspicuous place in each classroom. The displays must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall, using text large enough to be read by someone with average vision from anywhere in the classroom.

The law requires every public-school classroom in the state to display a version of the Ten Commandments using the same language from the King James Bible as used on the Ten Commandments monument outside the Texas State Capitol in Austin.

Funding and Implementation

Under the new law, schools are not required to purchase the displays with district funds but must accept privately donated posters that meet the specified requirements. Schools may also choose to use district funds to purchase the displays if they prefer.

The law includes strong legal protections for schools. The state attorney general will defend any school facing lawsuits over compliance with the requirement, and Texas will cover all expenses, costs, judgments, or settlements that arise from the legal battles.

Legislative Process and Support

The bill passed the Texas Senate on March 19 with a 20-11 vote and cleared the House on May 25 with an 82-46 vote. After the House added an amendment, the Senate gave final approval on May 28 with a 21-10 vote.

Supporters argue that the Ten Commandments and teachings of Christianity more generally are core to U.S. history, a message that has resurged in recent years as part of a broader national movement that considers the idea of church-state separation a myth.

Opposition and Legal Concerns

Some groups are widely opposed to the law, saying it violates the separation of church and state. During Texas legislative committee hearings, opponents from free speech and civil rights groups said the policy could send a message of exclusion to students of other faiths or those who don't practice a religion.

A letter signed this year by dozens of Christian and Jewish faith leaders opposing the bill noted that Texas has thousands of students of other faiths who might have no connection to the Ten Commandments.

National Context and Legal Precedent

Texas joins Louisiana and Arkansas in passing similar laws. A panel of federal appellate judges ruled only on Friday that a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms is unconstitutional.

Texas has nearly 6 million students in about 9,100 public schools, making it the largest state to implement such a requirement.

Additional Religious Education Measures

Abbott also signed a bill that allows school districts to provide students and staff a daily voluntary period of prayer or time to read a religious text during school hours.

The Ten Commandments laws are among efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools, part of a broader trend testing the boundaries of church-state separation in education.

The law is expected to face immediate legal challenges, with civil rights organizations already indicating their intent to file constitutional challenges similar to those mounted against Louisiana's law.