Texas Advances Bill Requiring Ten Commandments in Public School Classrooms

by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – Texas is poised to become the largest state in the U.S. to require all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments, following a weekend House vote on a controversial bill that has sparked national attention and legal warnings.

The Texas House passed Senate Bill 10 on Sunday, May 25, by a vote of 82-46, after an initial approval the day before. The legislation mandates that every classroom in the state post a copy of the Ten Commandments, taken from the King James Bible, in a format no smaller than 16 by 20 inches. The text must match the version displayed on the monument outside the state Capitol in Austin.

The bill had previously passed the Senate in March by a 20-11 margin. With minor amendments added in the House — including a provision requiring the state to cover any legal expenses incurred by school districts — the measure now returns to the Senate for final approval before heading to Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it into law. The mandate would take effect in September 2025.

Supporters say the Ten Commandments are foundational to American values and history, and that their display in classrooms would help restore moral clarity and discipline among young people.

“It is incumbent on all of us to follow God’s law and I think we would all be better off if we did,” said Rep. Candy Noble (R-Lucas), who carried the bill in the House.

Rep. Brent Money (R-Greenville) echoed that sentiment during debate: “Our kids in public schools need prayer, need Bible reading, more now than they ever have.”

The legislation is part of a broader effort in Texas to reintroduce religious language and traditions into public education. In recent years, the state passed a law requiring schools to display “In God We Trust” signs if donated, and the state board of education approved Bible-infused teaching materials. Other current bills would establish school prayer periods and require teachers to use “A.D.” and “B.C.” when teaching history.

Opponents say the bill is a clear violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and an unconstitutional endorsement of religion by the state. They also warn that it could alienate non-Christian students and provoke costly legal challenges.

“Public schools are not supposed to be Sunday school,” said Clay Robison, spokesperson for the Texas State Teachers Association, which opposes the bill.

Civil liberties groups have raised constitutional concerns, pointing to a recent federal court decision in Louisiana that struck down a nearly identical law. That ruling, now under appeal, found the mandatory display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms to be a government endorsement of religion.

Legal scholars, including George Washington University law professor Robert Tuttle, warned that the Supreme Court’s past decisions — including a 1980 ruling against a Kentucky classroom display — could come back into play. While the Court has recently leaned more conservative, Tuttle noted that its recent decision to reject a religious charter school in Oklahoma suggests it has not abandoned the separation of church and state.

“The constant presence of a sacred text in the room with them is effectively telling [students], ‘Hey, these are things you should read and obey,'” said Tuttle. “That’s not the state’s job.”

Texas is one of 16 states where lawmakers have introduced similar Ten Commandments bills in recent years. Advocates say they are emboldened by the current composition of the U.S. Supreme Court and the 2019 Kennedy v. Bremerton decision, which upheld a coach’s right to pray on the field after football games.

Still, critics argue the bill reflects a larger attempt to blur the line between church and state — a line that has defined American public education for decades.

If signed into law, the Texas measure could face immediate legal challenges and set the stage for a high-profile constitutional battle — one that may ultimately land at the U.S. Supreme Court.

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