Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is pressing independent school districts for proof that they’re displaying the Ten Commandments and providing prayer time in classrooms, as required by state law.
His office announced the investigation on Thursday, demanding that 29 school districts verify they’re showing the biblical principles and that their boards have voted on whether to implement school prayer time and reading of the Bible or other religious texts.
Senate Bill 10, which took effect last September, requires public schools to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments, while Senate Bill 11 requires school boards to vote on whether to implement daily time for prayer or reading religious texts. It requires only a vote, not the adoption of such a policy.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld SB 10 in a 9-8 ruling in April after lawsuits said it violated the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Multiple school boards across the state voted down resolutions for prayer time, noting that the district already lets students pray if they choose. Most Houston-area school districts voted to reject creating a prayer period. Magnolia Independent School District, north of Houston, is one of a handful of districts statewide that voted to create one.
While SB 10 requires districts to display only donated copies of the Ten Commandments, Dallas ISD said it has not received a donation, and El Paso ISD said it’s unaware of any donations.
Galveston ISD was already under a separate investigation by Paxton’s office for noncompliance with SB 10 because it decided to wait and see how the legal battle played out.
Mr. Paxton, a Republican running for senator, said he’s determined to make school districts comply with the law.
“I will always fight for students’ fundamental right to pray in our schools and work to ensure that Texas kids are able to learn from the Ten Commandments daily,” he said in a statement. “I will never stop defending our students’ religious freedom and the moral foundation of our nation.”
