What to know about the Ten Commandments going up in public school classrooms

DALLAS (AP) — Court rulings are bolstering mandates to display the Ten Commandments in public schools in the U.S. as supporters push to expand the role of religion in classrooms, including making Bible stories required reading for students.

The biggest drive yet to put the Ten Commandments in every classroom began last year in Texas, where a challenge to the law was batted down Tuesday by a U.S. appeals court. While the issue remains far from settled, the ruling was a victory for conservatives who reject arguments that the displays proselytize to students or step on the rights of parents, including families of other faiths.

The law has been met with a mix of enthusiasm and alarm, animating school board meetings and prompting the handing down of guidance to teachers about what to say when students ask questions. Some teachers have resigned instead of hanging the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.

Here are some things to know about the issue:

States pushing the Ten Commandments

Republicans in the South have led the way. Louisiana became the first state to pass a requirement in 2024, followed by Arkansas and Texas.

The latest is Alabama, where this month Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in 5th through 12th grade public school classrooms where U.S. history is routinely taught, as well as common areas like cafeterias and school libraries.

Texas’ law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, requires the Ten Commandments to be posted in every public school classroom and took effect in September. With the law only requiring districts to hang them if they are donated, conservative groups and individuals began dropping off boxes of posters at campuses across the state as the school year began.

An Associated Press analysis of state legislation compiled by the bill-tracking software Plural found at least 30 measures introduced for current sessions would require the display of the document at schools. The bills were all introduced by Republican lawmakers — and nearly all of them in GOP-controlled states.

Only a few have been endorsed by a legislative committee. There are also bills in some states to allow the display or to require teaching that includes the document.

Courts give supporters key victories

For months a lower-court ruling blocked about a dozen Texas districts from hanging the posters. But the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans reversed that, in a 9-8 decision that said the requirement does not violate students’ or parents’ rights.

“No child is made to recite the Commandments, believe them, or affirm their divine origin,” the ruling says.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that challenged the Texas law on behalf of parents said they were “extremely disappointed” in the appeals court’s decision.

“The First Amendment safeguards the separation of church and state, and the freedom of families to choose how, when and if to provide their children with religious instruction,” they said in a statement. “This decision tramples those rights.”

In February the same appeals court cleared the way for Louisiana to enforce its own law. That state’s attorney general, Republican Liz Murrill, celebrated the decision in the Texas case, saying it “adopted our entire legal defense.”

The larger fight over religion in schools

The Ten Commandments mandate in Texas is one of several fronts in the battle over religion in classrooms. In 2024 the state approved optional Bible-infused curriculum for elementary schools, and a proposal set for a vote in June would add Bible stories to required reading lists.

In neighboring Oklahoma the former top education official required public schools to begin incorporating the Bible into lesson plans for students in grades 5 through 12, prompting a lawsuit from parents and teachers. Many schools simply ignored the mandate.

Last year the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked an attempt by the state to have the first publicly funded religious charter school in the country. The case is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

What comes next

The ACLU and other groups that challenged the Texas law have said they anticipate appealing the 5th Circuit’s ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

___

Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Geoff Mulvihill in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed.