Ten Commandments could be in Texas public school classrooms as bill nears passage

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FILE - The Ten Commandments monument erected in 1956 at Albert Lea's Central Park, sits nestled among a cluster of overgrown pine trees.  (DAVID BREWSTER/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

AUSTIN, Texas - The Ten Commandments could be posted in public school classrooms as early as next school year after the Texas House pushed a bill requiring just that to a third reading on Saturday.

Ten Commandments in public schools

Senate Bill 10 passed 88-49 on second reading Saturday after lawmakers spent more than two hours debating the bill.

The bill survived intact despite several challenges from Democratic lawmakers. House Republicans shot down attempts to let school boards vote on allowing the Ten Commandments in classrooms and allowing codes of ethics from other religions to join the Ten Commandments on classroom walls.

What they're saying:

Rep. Candy Noble, the bill's House sponsor, called the Ten Commandments a foundational part of the American education system.

"Nothing is more deep rooted in the fabric of our American tradition of education than the Ten Commandments. The very way we treat others as a society comes from the principles found in the Ten Commandments. It's time to return to the truth, to the fabric of our educational system.

"The displaying of the Ten Commandments in our Texas classrooms will bring back this historic tradition of recognizing America's foundational heritage in both our educational and judicial systems, and remind students of the importance of this cornerstone of American and Texas law," Noble said.

The other side:

Rep. John Bryant said the bill was written to put Christian and Jewish religion in classrooms and would cause school districts controversy and lead to issues if young students asked teachers about some of the commandments.

"If your elementary school child walked up to you and said ‘mom or dad, what is adultery?’ How would you answer that? I guarantee you, you would stop and think about it, and you would have some difficulty at that age," Bryant said. "What do you expect our public school teachers to do with that question?"

Bryant said the same lawmakers who want the bill to pass would be the same ones that call for a teacher's job if they answer questions about the Ten Commandments the wrong way.

"This is going to be an impossible burden for our school districts every year," Bryant said.

Senate Bill 10

Dig deeper:

If passed, the bill would require schools to post a "durable poster or framed copy" of the Ten Commandments in every classroom.

The displayed copies would need to be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall and "in a size and typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom."

The bill would mandate that schools that do not have posters that meet the requirements to accept donations or use public funds to replace them.

If passed, the bill would go into effect starting with the 2025-2026 school year. 

What's next:

The bill still requires a third vote in the House before it goes to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. That vote could happen as early as Sunday.

The bill passed the Senate 20-11 in March.