On April 30, in the dark of night, the Texas House Public Education Committee took testimony from 4am to 6am on SB10, the bill requiring schools to place the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. The bill would still have to be voted out of the House Public Education Committee, Calendars Committee, and potentially on the House Floor. 

This bill is part of a broader attempt by the Senate and by conservative Christians to include religion in public schools. As Reform Jews, we believe strongly in the separation of church and state, and this bill is a violation of that principle. In the last few years, the Texas Legislature has required classrooms to hang signs that say “In God We Trust,” permitted unlicensed religious chaplains to serve as mental health counselors in public schools, and approved new curriculum materials that teach the Bible and other religious texts along with secular grade-school lessons. Louisiana passed a similar law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms last year. A federal district court temporarily blocked the Louisiana law from taking effect.

Call your Representative and urge them to oppose SB10. 

For more information, contact interim RAC-TX organizer Doug Greco at djefreco@gmail.com 

 

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