HOUSTON, Texas – Texas students are heading back to school amid growing tensions over Senate Bill 10, which takes effect Sept. 1.
The law requires every public classroom in the state to display the Ten Commandments.
Supporters say SB 10 represents a return to moral values, while critics argue it violates the Constitution by blurring the line between church and state.
KPRC 2’s Zach Lashway took a closer look as lawsuits mount and schools prepare for the new mandate.
A battle of beliefs
Supporters of SB 10 say the law upholds religious values important to Texas communities. Critics, however, call it government overreach that infringes on the constitutional separation of church and state.
Inside a Houston church, United Methodist Minister Cheryl Smith shared her views on the law.
“S.B. 10 seems to me to be a very dangerous bill and practice,” Smith said.
Smith, who has sat in the same pew for years, believes the law is unconstitutional.
“I oppose any religious tradition being privileged in our public schools, even my own,” she said.
When asked if the conversation would change if the law mandated another religious teaching, Smith said, “It would be the same to me. You know, the SB 10 privileges my own particular faith tradition, and I still do not support it for public schools. I don’t think it belongs there. The teaching of faith belongs in the hands of parents and churches or synagogues or mosques.”
Concerns over funding and fairness
Critics argue that SB 10 is less about providing a moral compass and more about creating a divide among students. The law does not allocate funding for the displays but requires schools to accept donated posters of the Ten Commandments.
Rebecca Smith-Nash, a mother of two in Montgomery County, expressed concern about the financial burden on school districts.
“I saw there was no funding allocated for it,” Smith-Nash said. “We have to step up as a community because the districts are already burdened financially.”
With help from others, Smith-Nash printed 5,000 posters to distribute to six school districts in the county.
“We want to make sure that we’re able to help the school districts … and it’s not affecting anybody’s salaries or anything for the students, most importantly,” she said.
Local school districts respond
KPRC 2 reached out to 56 Houston-area school districts to see how they plan to handle SB 10’s implementation. Eleven districts said they will accept donations and follow the law, while five are waiting for further guidance.
When asked if she would be upset if the law mandated the Quran in public classrooms, Smith-Nash said, “We are a melting pot, so I wouldn’t be upset if we had things on the walls that are not the Ten Commandments. But I do believe that if we’re going to be true to who we are as a country, the Ten Commandments should come first, because we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the Christian values that we started on.”
Despite attending public school herself, Smith-Nash’s children go to private school.
“I just really wanted a strong influence for Christianity, especially given today’s culture and climate in the country,” she said.
When asked if she would consider sending her children to public school now that SB 10 is in effect, she said, “Maybe for my grandkids, but that would be up to them.”
“At some point, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. But I really do appreciate the God-infused curriculum that they’re able to work in,” she added.
A call for inclusivity
Minister Cheryl Smith offered a message to Christians who support SB 10.
“I would just ask them to consider how they might like it if the legislature passed a bill wanting to put some Buddhist, you know, the noble truths on the wall or some Hindu passages,” she said. “There are beautiful things from all religions. I suspect that the Christians who think this is a good idea would be very distressed if we put some Muslim scripture or some Hindu scripture on the walls of our public schools.”
What’s next for Texas classrooms?
Regardless of beliefs, come Sept. 1, every public classroom in Texas will be caught in the middle of this contentious debate.
