Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed new lawsuits against two school districts in the Austin area for refusing to comply with new state laws requiring public schools to display the Biblical Ten Commandments in classrooms.
The lawsuits are against Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD, and their school board members.
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In the announcement, Paxton said both districts had received privately donated copies that met all legal requirements but declined to post them.
According to the filing, Round Rock ISD confirmed its refusal in an email from its general counsel on Sept. 15.
“These rogue ISD officials and board members blatantly disregarded the will of Texas voters who expect the legal and moral heritage of our state to be displayed in accordance with the law,” Paxton said in the release.
State officials noted that, while a federal district court has temporarily blocked enforcement of the law for 11 other districts involved in separate litigation, that injunction does not apply to Round Rock or Leander.
By declining to display the donated materials, Paxton said the districts violated a state statute and ignored voter expectations.
“Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD chose to defy a clear statutory mandate, and this lawsuit makes clear that no district may ignore Texas law without consequence,” Paxton continued in the statement.
The lawsuits come shortly after Paxton also sued Galveston ISD, where board members similarly voted not to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments.