Concerns about safety in schools are currently common in countries like Brazil and especially the United States, which has a sad history of attacks on educational institutions. In view of this, a Republican Party congressman in Texas suggested the installation of posters with the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
The bill is still being discussed, but if passed and signed into law, it will require elementary and secondary schools across the state to display a large sign “in a conspicuous place in every classroom” with the Ten Commandments of the Mosaic Law.
State Senate Bill 1515, introduced by Phil King (R), is specific about the exact size of the signs and the inclusion of the phrase “Thou shalt” at the beginning of each commandment.
The Senate State Committee on Education will debate the bill soon, according to information from the portal. Christian Headlines.
The proposal aroused opposition from radical defenders of the secularity of the State, who argued that PL 1515 would make the government invest taxpayers’ money in the production of material related to the Christian and Jewish religions.
However, according to local media reports, the project mandates that schools accept donations of Ten Commandments displays and offer any excess donations to other schools. The bill’s wording also allows schools to use “public funds” to meet the requirement.
Senator King explained in a statement that the bill became “legally viable” due to the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in the case of Professor Joe Kennedy. He had been fired by the school where he coached the football team for praying after games. The teacher appealed to the courts and defeated the school, which was forced to rehire him.
In the view of State Senator Phil King, the ruling that gave Professor Kennedy victory “provided a test of whether a government display of religious content is compatible with America’s history and tradition.”
“Religious freedom was a cornerstone of America’s founding. In recent decades, the expression of this freedom has been restricted. However, thanks to this recent Supreme Court opinion, those restrictions have been removed,” he added.
For King, PL 1515 “reminds students across Texas of the importance of a fundamental cornerstone of American and Texas law – the Ten Commandments.”