Texas Legislator Seeks to Get Ten Commandments on the Walls of State’s Classrooms

Despite the shadow cast by Stone v. Graham over the constitutionality of his initiative, Texas State Rep. Dan Flynn has introduced H.B. 79, which reads, “The board of trustees of an independent school district may not prohibit the posting of a copy of the Ten Commandments in a prominent location in a district classroom.”  Flynn has asserted the posting would represent a "patriotic exercise" but went on, as quoted in the Fort Worth Star Telegram to explain the impetus for the proposal as follows:

This is necessary to protect teachers who have the desire to establish that the country's historical background is based on Judeo-Christian traditions.... This might be a reassuring step to the people that we are wanting to maintain and hold on to those historical findings of how our country was founded. ...And anything that helps build the morals of our young people would be helpful. ...For too long, we've forsaken what our Judeo-Christian heritage has been. Our rights do come from God, not from government.

JFB