State moving forward with Ten Commandments in classrooms

Local schools are going over newly issued guidelines on how to comply with a new law requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in public K-12 and college classrooms.

Originally dubbed House Bill 71 by Rep. Dodie Horton, R-Haughton, the law was passed last year and went into effect Jan. 1. Louisiana was the first state to pass such a requirement.

As of Monday, no Ten Commandments displays had yet been placed or purchased for placement in Lincoln Parish public schools, as district leadership is still deciphering the latest guidance from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.

Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech University and Grambling State University are waiting on final direction from the University of Louisiana System.

Murrill released a guidance document Friday for schools, colleges and universities to comply with the law, even as a lawsuit against its constitutionality is ongoing.

“We have tested several potential H.B. 71 displays to determine a constitutionally sound implementation plan for our schools,” Murrill said in the release.

Schools are asked to choose from four posters approved by Murrill, which list the Ten Commandments alongside images and text aiming to provide historical context for the document.

The posters are to be displayed in every classroom at a size ranging from 11 inches by 14 inches to 18 inches by 24 inches, according to Murrill’s advisement, and not on a wall behind the instructor.

The law does not include any penalties for non- compliance.

The law also requires schools to either have the posters themselves donated from the public or else use donated funds to purchase them — they can’t use existing school funds.

That’s where most of the hold-up comes from for the parish school system, Superintendent Ricky Durrett said. “We haven’t done it, but we’re looking at it,” he said. “Nobody has come forward to pay for it.”

The law also requires postsecondary education management boards, like the UL System, to officially pass the Ten Commandments requirements themselves.

That’s what Tech is waiting for, spokesperson Cami Geisman said. GSU spokesperson Tisha Arnold said campus leadership and UL System leadership are strategizing on implementation of the law.

The law is currently blocked in five school districts where parents have claimed in a lawsuit that the law is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment’s ban on state- sponsored religion.

Proponents say the Ten Commandments is a foundational historical document as well as a religious one.

“H. B. 71 follows a long American tradition of recognizing the foundational documents undergirding our legal system, including the Ten Commandments,” Murrill said in her guidance.

Each of the poster options includes a wordy context statement giving a history of the Ten Commandments’ use in public education.

The first design, focusing on the House of Representatives and the “ lawgivers” depicted in the House chamber, prominently includes images of Moses and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson flanking the text of the commandments.

Murrill’s guidance also says if schools put up the displays and are sued for it, her office will represent them.