By rssfeeds-admin Sen. Keith Kelley (R-Anniston) wants schools to put these commandments where students can see them. His bill would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in common areas of public schools. He said the display pays homage to our nation’s foundation.
“So, it’s a foundation of our society… ‘you shall not kill,’ just some of the basic things,” said Kelley. “In my mind, it’s a historical document that’s helped shape our country.”
That document would also have to be shown at public universities. A similar bill was passed in Louisiana last year, but it’s been blocked in federal court. Kelley said the Ten Commandments would encourage students.
“You would have less kids, maybe, looking at each other, looking down on each other,” he said. “I think you would have a better situation socially in schools. More acceptance of other people.”
But, Rev. Julie Conrady, president of the Interfaith Alliance of Central Alabama, said it violates the First Amendment. “I think it’s just really important that we place this sacred text where it belongs as a position of faith,” Conrady said. “Not as something that the government or schools are dictating to students.”
Rev. Conrady said there are different interpretations of those commandments. “All of the students in Alabama that are not Jewish or Christian, or adhering to that document in a more formal way, they are getting left out,” she explained. “And, it is expected upon them to have one religious tradition.”
Sen. Kelley said the purpose of the display goes well beyond religion. “We hear of school shootings, we hear of all these things, and see all these things in our society,” he said. “And, I think refocusing on these simple rules… we need to get back to basics.”
The bill was discussed today in a public hearing. Next, it’ll be taken up for a vote in committee. If enacted, the Ten Commandments would need to be displayed in schools by January 1st of 2026.
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