OAN Geraldyn Berry
UPDATED 3:49 PM – Friday, April 21, 2023
Senate Bill 1515, a bill that was adopted by the Texas Senate on Thursday, will require all public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. The legislation will go into place starting in the 2023-2024 academic year.
Senator Phil King (R-Texas) stated that he wanted the state to bring the Ten Commandments back into the classroom because they are a crucial part of the American heritage.
“[The bill] will remind students all across Texas of the importance of the fundamental foundation of America,” King said.
King also said that the Supreme Court of the United States had indicated that the legislation was legal by siding with Joe Kennedy, a Washington State high school football coach who had been sacked for praying before games.
The idea follows the adoption of legislation in August requiring schools to display “In God We Trust” signs in a “conspicuous place,” provided that they were “donated” or “purchased by private donations.”
State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Texas), who sponsored the legislation, tweeted that “the national motto, In God We Trust, asserts our collective trust in a sovereign God.”
“The national motto, In God We Trust, asserts our collective trust in a sovereign God,” Hughes wrote on Twitter. “I co-authored the bill in 2003 that allowed schools to display the motto, and last year I authored the ‘In God We Trust Act,’ which requires a school to display the motto if there is no cost associated with the display.”
Senate Bill 1396, which would permit public and charter schools to adopt a policy allowing students and staff to set aside time for prayer and reading religious books like the Bible at school, also received final Senate approval.
Additionally, the Senate approved Bill 1556, which would codify the Supreme Court’s decision on the high school football coach into law and safeguard school employees’ freedom to express their religious beliefs or pray “while on duty.”
Senate Bill 1515 will now head to the state House for consideration.
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