ACLU warns Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana schools against Ten Commandments classroom displays

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has delivered a sharp warning to public school districts in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, cautioning that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms would violate the US Constitution and expose schools to immediate legal action. According to a detailed report by K-12 Dive, the warning comes even as recent state laws mandate such displays, setting up a direct conflict between state directives and federal constitutional protections.
New state mandates under legal challengeIn the past year, legislatures in Republican-controlled states have passed laws requiring public schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana were among the first to enact such measures, framing them as efforts to promote values and heritage. However, federal courts in all three states have moved quickly to block enforcement, ruling that these laws run afoul of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. Judges have pointed to long-standing legal precedent affirming the separation of church and state, as highlighted by K-12 Dive.
Historical legal backdropThe issue of religious texts in public schools has a long history in US courts. In Stone v. Graham (1980), the Supreme Court struck down a Kentucky law that required classrooms to display the Ten Commandments, holding that the measure lacked a secular purpose and endorsed a specific religious doctrine. While some state lawmakers argue that the current Supreme Court could take a different stance, federal judges handling the lawsuits in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana continue to cite Stone v. Graham as controlling precedent. Legal experts told K-12 Dive that these recent laws are part of a coordinated strategy to test constitutional limits and push for greater religious influence in public education.
ACLU’s August 21 letter to districtsThe ACLU’s letter, sent on August 21, directly addressed school districts across the three states. As reported by K-12 Dive, the organisation emphasised that posting the Ten Commandments would still constitute a constitutional violation, even in districts not specifically covered by current injunctions. The ACLU warned that any district complying with state laws in this matter could face lawsuits, with civil rights groups prepared to challenge such actions in federal court. The organization urged administrators to prioritise the constitutional rights of students and families over state-level directives.
Broader education policy battlesThe Ten Commandments controversy is unfolding amid a larger wave of state-level education policies, many of which reflect broader cultural and political debates. According to K-12 Dive, the same states have advanced measures restricting classroom discussions on race, sexuality, and gender, as well as legislation expanding parental control over school curricula. Together, these initiatives represent an ongoing national struggle over the role of public schools in shaping civic and cultural values.
Legal and political crossroads for schoolsSchool administrators in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana now face a precarious situation: state laws ordering them to post the Ten Commandments, federal court rulings declaring those laws unconstitutional, and civil rights groups ready to sue if violations occur. The ACLU’s intervention underscores the likelihood of prolonged legal battles, with potentially significant costs for districts caught in the crossfire.