Louisiana Could Require Classrooms to Display the 10 Commandments. It’s a Horrible Idea

Louisiana is on the verge of becoming the first state in the union to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in every school that receives state funding. House Bill 71, authored by GOP State Rep. Dodie Horton, has cleared the State Senate and is awaiting approval in the House before going to Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk for signature.

Proponents of the measure argue that the Ten Commandments carry historical significance, given its role in the nation’s founding. But in reality, this endeavor is little more than a virtue signal that will likely not stand up to legal scrutiny.

Those supporting the legislation, such as Republican State Sen. Adam Bass, argued that “The Ten Commandments is a historical document that merits a place of prominence in classrooms.” They cite a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which decided in favor of a high school football coach who had been fired for leading prayers after games. Bass suggested that because of this ruling, “Both Representative Horton and I believe it will withstand legal and judicial scrutiny.”

However, there are several issues here that cannot be ignored. For starters, House Bill 71 runs afoul of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which bars the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.” By requiring every classroom to feature the Ten Commandments, a religious text, the state appears to endorse a specific religious doctrine. This is quite troubling when it involves government institutions students are compelled to attend.

Moreover, it is not the role of government to teach people about morality through state-run schools. It is the job of parents to shape their children’s moral development.

Folks on the right can’t complain about progressive efforts to indoctrinate children in K-12 classrooms while supporting a measure that could result in a different type of indoctrination.

Democratic State Sen. Royce Duplessis, who opposed the bill, said it best: “I didn’t have to learn the Ten Commandments in schools. We went to Sunday school. You want your kids to learn about the Ten Commandments, take them to church.”

Those supporting the bill point out the fact that taxpayers would not be required to fund the displays. Instead, each school would raise funds from the community. Yet the inevitable legal challenges that will crop up as soon as the bill passes will cost taxpayers copious sums of money as the state tries to fend off lawsuits.

Indeed, the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights organizations have already promised to challenge the law in court. Is the amount of taxpayer money that will be spent to defend the law worth having the Ten Commandments in the classroom? Wouldn’t that money be better spent on actually educating children?

Currently, Louisiana’s education system ranks dead last out of all states in the union. The state has serious problems when it comes to educating its children. In fact, almost 25 percent of Louisiana high school students did not graduate. The state ranks 49 in its percentage of students who go on to graduate from college.

Perhaps the state’s lawmakers should be focused more on addressing this problem than signaling their virtue by forcing schools to display religious iconography.

The separation of church and state has been a cornerstone of this nation since America’s founding. It is intended to ensure that the government remains neutral in matters concerning religion. And this current debate highlights the reality that schools should be places where children learn the skills and subjects they need to thrive as adults. Instilling moral values in children is of paramount importance.

But it would be more appropriate to leave this up to parents and communities and keep the government out of it.

Jeff Charles is the host of “A Fresh Perspective” podcast and a contributor for RedState and Liberty Nation.

The views in this article are the writer’s own.