Legislation submitted to the Tennessee State House of Representatives on December 19 would allow Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and public school charters to adopt policies allowing the display of the Ten Commandments, the U.S. Constitution, and Declaration of Independence in classrooms.
According to its summary, House Bill 47 by State Representative Michael Hale would give entities governing Tennessee’s schools the opportunity to publicly display, “the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of Tennessee, the Bill of Rights,” and other historical documents at a “prominent location in each school building.”
The text of the legislation would specifically allow LEAs and public charter schools to display the historical documents, “to educate students on the historical significance and common cultural heritage the documents have on the principles of the LEA or public charter school, this state, or the United States of America.”
It would also encourage schools to display such materials, with the legislation noting that, “wall posters or other hard copy, printed versions” are made available to schools for free. LEAs and public school charters would ultimately be responsible for determining where the materials would be displayed.
Lawmakers in other states have taken similar steps, including those in Oklahoma, which now requires students learn about the Bible and Ten Commandments in school.
Louisiana went further than Tennessee or Oklahoma, passing legislation that requires the display the Ten Commandments in public schools earlier this year. That law was struck down by a federal judge in November, though the state announced its plans to appeal the decision.
While Tennessee is not alone to pass legislation supporting the Ten Commandments, the lawmakers in the Keystone State have been interested in the issue since at least 1996, when lawmakers successfully passed a resolution encouraging display of the Ten Commandments by “every citizen of Tennessee,” including “in their homes, businesses, schools, and places of worship.”
The resolution also set aside a ten-day period in June 1996 to honor the Ten Commandments, and was passed despite the New York Times reporting that former State Attorney General Charles Burson called it unconstitutional in a legal opinion.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Classroom w US Flag” by Ian Koski CCNC2.0.
