AUSTIN (KXAN) — Following a preliminary injunction involving 11 school districts in Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday that all other independent school districts are to display copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
According to Paxton, school districts included in the injunction are Alamo Heights, North East, Cypress Fairbanks, Lackland, Lake Travis, Fort Bend, Dripping Springs, Plano and Northside. Austin ISD and Houston ISD were part of the lawsuit, but Paxton said they were not affected by the injunction.
Paxton said in a news release Monday that he “immediately” appealed the ruling.
Senate Bill 10, which requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, is set to take effect Sept. 1.
KXAN reported last week that U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sided with a group of families, as well as faith leaders, who brought the lawsuit against multiple school districts, to stop the law from going into effect. He issued the injunction against SB 10, saying in the filing that it crossed the line from exposure to coercion.
“From the beginning, the Ten Commandments have been irrevocably intertwined with America’s legal, moral, and historical heritage. Schools not enjoined by ongoing litigation must abide by S.B. 10 and display the Ten Commandments,” Paxton said in the release Monday.
After the injunction ruling, plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit issued a statement, with one of the plaintiffs saying, “Children’s religious beliefs should be instilled by parents and faith communities, not politicians and public schools.”
State Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, wrote SB 10 during the 89th Legislative Session. He argued the Ten Commandments would help students understand how the religious document shaped American history and culture.
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