Public Schools Are Not Religious Schools
A recent headline from Louisiana's Governor has become quite controversial. Can a state require religious aspects to be in every classroom?
6/25/20241 min read
The media has been alight lately over a bit of a controversial incident. The Louisiana Governor, Jeff Landry, recently signed a law requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every classroom. This violates freedoms on so many levels.
Let me be clear: I’m not saying that religion should never be allowed in schools. Religion is deeply embedded in many people’s lives. So is gender identity, sexual orientation, race, disability, and a slew of other topics that are either forbidden or simply not taught in schools.
Making it a requirement that every school display the Ten Commandments, something that is exclusive to a particular religion is a gross and blatant violation of law. The 1962 Supreme Court ruling of Engel v Vitale established that officially sanctioned recitation of prayer in public schools violated the constitution’s first amendment, which prohibits the establishment of a state religion. Are we ignoring the law now? How is this not establishing a state religion?
If this is a choice a state wants to make, that’s okay. But then, according to law, the Louisiana Governor should also make it a requirement that aspects of Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Athesiam, Satanism, and every other religion be posted in every classroom. Believe it or not, there is a way to impartially educate children on the various religions out there, without having a bias toward one.
As a member of the Fenton Public School Board, this is something I will not let slide. I will advocate that every student’s beliefs and culture are fairly and equally represented in our schools.
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