In Texas, a new state law has sparked controversy by requiring all public school classrooms to display a poster listing the Ten Commandments. The law, which took effect in September, represents the largest effort in the United States to mandate the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools. However, the mandate has met with significant resistance from educators, school districts, legal experts, and civil rights advocates, leading to resignations, lawsuits, and ongoing court battles.
One of the most poignant reactions came from Gigi Cervantes, a high school theater teacher in Fort Worth, who chose to resign rather than comply with the new law. Cervantes expressed deep concern about imposing religious doctrine on her students, a practice she felt violated their constitutional rights. “I just was not going to be a part of forcing or imposing religious doctrine onto my students,” she said. Cervantes’s decision reflects the fears of many educators who worry that the law infringes upon the First Amendment rights of students and teachers by promoting a particular religious viewpoint in public education.
The legal challenges to the law have been swift and significant. Federal courts have issued orders preventing more than two dozen school districts in Texas from displaying the Ten Commandments posters. Most recently, a judge ruled that the mandate violates the First Amendment, which guarantees religious liberty and prohibits government establishment of religion. Similar laws in Arkansas and Louisiana have also been struck down by courts, and the issue is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, where it will likely ignite a major constitutional debate.
Despite the legal challenges, many Texas school districts have moved forward with the law’s implementation. In some districts, the rollout has been hurried and contentious. For example, the Frisco Independent School District, located in suburban Dallas, spent approximately $1,800 to print nearly 5,000 posters, even though the law only requires schools to display the Ten Commandments if the posters are donated. Other schools have yet to receive any posters, leaving them uncertain about how to comply.
The law itself is specific about the display requirements: posters must be placed “in a conspicuous place” within classrooms, with the text printed in a size and typeface large enough to be easily readable from anywhere in the room by a person with average vision. The posters must measure 16 inches wide by 20 inches tall (about 40 cm by 50 cm). The state’s mandate has caused a surge of donations of Ten Commandments posters, with boxes arriving at schools across Texas.
Some teachers who support the law argue that the Ten Commandments have historical significance beyond their religious origins. Dustin Parsons, an eighth-grade U.S. history teacher in the small city of Whitesboro, said he uses the poster to help students understand the influence of Christianity on the founding principles of the United States. “I’m doing it more from a history source perspective in how they were building the Constitution,” Parsons explained. His perspective reflects a common argument among supporters who claim the commandments are a part of American heritage and legal tradition rather than solely a religious text.
Nevertheless, many school districts are grappling with how to balance the new mandate with constitutional protections. The Hays Consolidated Independent School District, located south of Austin, chose to post the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights—including the First Amendment—alongside the Ten Commandments. This approach attempts to provide context and remind students of their rights amid the controversy.
School board members acknowledge the difficult position they are in. Elizabeth Beeton, a member of the Galveston Independent School District’s board, described the situation as being “between a rock and a hard place.” The Galveston school board voted not to post the commandments until the courts decide on the law’s constitutionality, but this decision led to a lawsuit from the state. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has aggressively pursued districts that refuse to comply, filing lawsuits against multiple districts for allegedly violating the law, even as some districts insist they are displaying donated posters as required.
The law’s passage was a straightforward process in Texas’s Republican-dominated legislature, and it has received support from prominent Republicans, including former President Donald Trump. Many supporters view the Ten Commandments as foundational to Christian faith, the country’s legal system, and societal order. Lorne Liechty, an attorney and Rockwall County commissioner in suburban Dallas, spearheaded fundraising efforts to donate posters to the Rockwall Independent School District. He described the commandments as “really good guides for human behavior” and expressed confusion about