Texas parents sue state, school districts after Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill requiring Ten Commandments displayed in classrooms
Abbott signs 300+ bills into law, including measures on health care, abortion, and religion in schoo
Abbott signs 300+ bills into law, including measures on health care, abortion, and religion in schoo
A group of North Texas parents is suing the state and their students' school districts after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
The lawsuit alleges Senate Bill 10 is a violation of the establishment clause and a violation of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It was filed by Minister Dominique Alexander, Bishop Gerald Weatherall, Pastor Shanneca Weatherall, Reverend Bryant X. Phelps, Pastor Kevin Harris, Tiara Cooper, Minister Al-Shaheed Muhammad and Zaeta Muhammad.
Specifically, the parents filed a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, and the school boards of Dallas, DeSoto and Lancaster ISDs.
What Texas' new Ten Commandments law requires in public school classrooms
Since Abbott signed Senate Bill 10 into law on Saturday, public schools are required to post in classrooms a 16-by-20-inch poster or framed copy of a specific English version of the commandments, even though translations and interpretations vary across denominations, faiths and languages and may differ in homes and houses of worship.
The lawsuit contends that SB 10 interferes with parenting styles and forces children to religious mandates even if they follow various faiths and religions.
"This is wholly inconsistent with the fundamental religious-freedom principles that upon which our nation was founded," the lawsuit said.
Abbott also signed a bill that allows school districts to provide students and staff a daily voluntary period of prayer or time to read a religious text during school hours.
The Ten Commandments laws are among efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools.
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