US District Judge Fred Biery issued a preliminary injunction against Texas Senate Bill 10, which would have required Ten Commandments displays in every public school classroom and was slated to take effect September 1. The injunction aligns with recent rulings in Arkansas and Louisiana that found similar laws unconstitutional. Biery cited the First Amendment's establishment clause and the separation of church and state. The judge wrote that even passive displays could inject religious discourse into classrooms and compel teachers to answer students' questions, potentially creating awkward situations. The injunction currently applies to 11 represented school districts including Alamo Heights, Houston, Austin, Fort Bend and Plano. The case arose from complaints by parents represented by advocacy groups.
Biery's decision opens by citing the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which bars the government from passing laws respecting an establishment of religion. That clause underpins the separation of church and state in the US. The judge then argues that even passive displays of the Ten Commandments would risk injecting religious discourse into the classroom, thereby violating that separation.
Even though the Ten Commandments would not be affirmatively taught, the captive audience of students likely would have questions, which teachers would feel compelled to answer. That is what they do, Biery wrote. Teenage boys, being the curious hormonally driven creatures they are, might ask: Mrs Walker, I know about lying and I love my parents, but how do I do adultery?' Truly an awkward moment for overworked and underpaid educators, who already have to deal with sex education issues.
Collection
[
|
...
]