SAN ANTONIO – When millions of Texas public school students enter their classrooms on Sept. 2, they’ll see something new: posters listing the Ten Commandments.
The new state law requiring all public classrooms to display the religious document went into effect Sept. 1, a holiday, when public schools were closed.
KSAT visited South San Independent School District, where the posters have been on display for a while.
“To be in the spirit of the law, we did just go ahead and purchase them ourselves so that we could have them up,” said Saul Hinojosa, superintendent of South San ISD.
Hinojosa said there are 500 classes within the district’s 12 schools. Each classroom has a poster of the Ten Commandments.
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Gov. Greg Abbott passed the law in June. It states each public classroom in Texas must show a “poster or framed copy” of the Ten Commandments, measuring at least 16 by 20 inches.
Some oppose the law, saying it violates the First Amendment. But supporters say having the document in schools will encourage good behavior among students.
Less than two weeks ago, a federal judge ruled in favor of families who disagreed with the law and sued 11 school districts. However, the injunction only applies to the districts in the lawsuit, meaning districts like South San ISD have to follow the law.
Hinojosa doesn’t want the controversial law to overshadow the district’s main purpose.
“My focus right now is on educating students ... to make sure that our district performs where it should be, and where it needs to be,” said Hinojosa.
All school districts have to pay for their posters or get them from donors.
Last week, KSAT emailed state Attorney General Ken Paxton to see if districts that aren’t in compliance will face penalties. KSAT didn’t receive a response.
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