Ken Paxton announced Thursday that his office has opened investigations into more than two dozen Texas school districts over compliance with a state law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Paxton said the Attorney General’s office is seeking documents from 29 districts, including Austin Independent School District, Houston Independent School District, Dallas Independent School District, Fort Bend Independent School District, and others statewide.
The requests require districts to provide information on whether they are displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms and to submit their policies related to Senate Bill 10.
“Texas school districts must comply with Texas law by displaying the Ten Commandments and taking a school board vote regarding the implementation of prayer time in schools,” Paxton said. “I will never stop defending our students’ religious freedom and the moral foundation of our nation.”
Senate Bill 10 requires public school classrooms to display a “durable poster or framed copy” of the Ten Commandments measuring at least 16 inches by 20 inches and placed in a readable format. Senate Bill 11 separately requires school boards to vote on setting aside time for prayer in schools.
The enforcement action follows a recent ruling from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the legality of Texas’ Ten Commandments display law and ruled that it does not violate the First Amendment.
The court said the law “does not tell churches or synagogues or mosques what to believe or how to worship,” but a dissenting judge warned the ruling conflicts with established Supreme Court precedent and raises concerns about religious influence in public schools.
School districts named in the inquiry had not immediately issued public responses as of Thursday.