Texas Republicans Seem Hell-Bent on Turning K–12 Schools Into Churches

Most of the red-state culture wars have centered on relatively new acronyms––like CRT (critical race theory), DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and ESG (environmental and social governance)––that Republican lawmakers presumably had little to no knowledge of until recently. But in Texas––where Republicans have already scored victories on many contemporary culture war issues––state lawmakers are now attempting to win a battle lost by the evangelical right decades ago.

On Thursday, the Texas Senate passed a bill mandating that all public elementary and secondary schools in the state display “a durable poster or framed copy” of the Ten Commandments in every classroom. Senate Bill 1515, if enacted into law, would require the text to be presented in a “conspicuous” place and font so as to be legible “anywhere in the classroom.” The bill even includes a minimum size requirement for the posters: 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall.

State senator Phil King, the Republican sponsor of the bill, has argued that the Ten Commandments are a part of America’s national identity, claiming that the legislation will “remind students all across Texas of the importance of a fundamental foundation of American and Texas law.” The bill might seem blatantly unconstitutional, especially given past rulings on similar laws. But King seems to believe the Supreme Court will not see it that way, pointing to the precedent set last year by Kennedy v. Bremerton, which was ruled in favor of a high school coach who was fired for leading prayers with students during school activities and on school grounds.

Senate Bill 1515 isn’t the only Texas measure to hang its hat on the Kennedy ruling: Senate Bill 1396, also introduced Thursday, seeks to open the door for prayer and Bible study time at public schools in the state. Under the law, a school district’s board of trustees could compel the schools they oversee to grant students and employees the opportunity to participate in prayer and religious reading during school hours. While this would allow for readings from all religious texts, it is clear which one the bill’s sponsors had in mind: “An act relating to a period of prayer and Bible reading in public schools,” reads the initial version of Senate Bill 1396.

Naturally, Texas lieutenant governor Dan Patrick has hawked the tandem bills as victories for religious liberty. “I believe that you cannot change the culture of the country until you change the culture of mankind,” he said, according to The Texas Tribune. “Bringing the Ten Commandments and prayer back to our public schools will enable our students to become better Texans.”

If signed into law, both measures would no doubt face legal challenges, as has been the case throughout the decades-long effort by Christian activists to inject the Ten Commandments into courtrooms and schools. In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled in Stone v. Graham that a Kentucky statute forcing schools to display a copy of the Ten Commandments violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. 

Meanwhile, red states have also sought to regulate reproductive care along religious lines, imposing draconian abortion restrictions that could have a negative impact on higher education enrollment in red states. A new survey by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation found that 72% of college students said that “the reproductive health laws in the state where their college is located are at least somewhat important to their decision to stay enrolled.”