The day September 1, 2025 schools all around the district got faced with The 10 Commandments on the wall in every classroom. Senate Bill 10 mandates that the poster will be displayed in every classroom K-12.
The 10 Commandments is a religious text and divine moral code that Judaism Christianity, as well as Islam abide by. As it promotes moral and ethical values, not every student that steps into a school is by that religion.
The 10 Commandments were effectively removed from all public schools by 1980. The Supreme Court, Stone V. Graham prohibits the government promoting a certain religion. Now, Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10, but currently is facing legal challenges as it violates the separation of church and state according to the first amendment.
The majority of students, parents and even teachers conclude that it excludes students that are not from a certain religion following the commandments, and as well overlooks the diversity the schools hold.
This new law encourages reflection and brings some students curiosity of learning more about the historical background of these texts while being aware of free religion, but it also can command an overly theocratic atmosphere while the U.S. is not a theocracy country, and it is also a risk on misinterpretation, as little kids can think and conclude wrong mishandled thoughts and so called facts about The 10 Commandments.
Instead of accidentally proposing and promoting one religion in a diverse country, a solution might be to include all religions to encourage more students to dive deeper into inclusivity and neutrality. Displaying a variety of Ethical and Philosophical texts. This creates an environment where students can learn freely about all historical and religious texts all around the world in different time frames. This approach avoids favoring one religion over another, and respects all to keep society diverse and free.
To bring this to a close, as schools displaying The 10 Commandments brings moral and ethical guidance, it is also important to recognize other religions and beliefs as this country is not a theocratic society, everyone is diverse and open to free religion for all.
By: Abigail Piconada