OKLAHOMA, USA — An Oklahoma Republican representative filed legislation on Dec. 29 that would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Rep. Jim Olsen filed HB 2962 to require each public school classroom to display a 16-inch-by-20-inch poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments "in a conspicuous place," starting the 2024-2025 school year.
"The Ten Commandments is one of the foundations of our nation," Olsen said in a press release. "Publicly and proudly displaying them in public school classrooms will serve as a reminder of the ethics of our state and country as students and teachers go about their day. It is my prayer that this display would inspire our young people during their formative years and encourage them to lead moral, principled lives."
Although the bill is unclear about where the copies of the Ten Commandments will come from, it does say the school can "accept any offer of a privately donated poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments" as long as it follows the dimensions and does not contain additional content.
The bill aims to become effective by July 1, 2024. According to the legislation, the urgency to immediately put the bill into effect is "necessary for the preservation of the public peace."
In McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky in 2005, the ACLU sued three Kentucky counties for displaying framed copies of the Ten Commandments in courthouses and public schools. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that displays, similar to what Olsen's legislation would require, violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause "because their purpose had been to advance religion."
Olsen will present the bill at the next legislative session on Feb. 5.
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