AU -- The Ten Commandments aren’t just a poster
The Ten Commandments aren’t just a poster.
- Tue, Sep 15 2026 at 11:16 AM
Dear Mark,
Who and what are public schools for?
For most of us, the answer comes from our own experience. We all remember the classrooms we grew up in, the teachers who shaped us, and the people we met there who came from families with different beliefs and traditions. Public schools bring all of those children into the same room, and that shared experience has always been an important part of American public life. I, myself, am a proud public school former student and parent.
That is why I keep coming back to what is happening in Texas, where every public-school classroom will be required to display the Ten Commandments under a law that a federal appeals court recently upheld. Americans United and our coalition partners challenged the law on behalf of more than two dozen Texas families, and we have filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review these cases.
The Texas law may be new, but the fight over government-mandated religion in public schools has been central to AU's work since our earliest days. When I look back at our nearly 80-year history, I see a track record of people who kept showing up when politicians and religious extremists tried to steer public education toward their own religious agendas.
Here are five moments that help put this one in perspective:
1948: AU helped end "captive schools."In New Mexico, a brand-new AU provided financial and legal support to parents challenging Catholic nuns operating their public school and filling classrooms with religious symbols. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in our favor.1962–1963: AU supported ending government-sponsored prayer.AU supported the Supreme Court decisions ending government-sponsored prayer and compulsory Bible reading in public schools, while defending every student's freedom to pray voluntarily.1987–2005: AU fought creationism in science classrooms.After the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that required public schools to teach creationism alongside evolution, AU and its allies won a landmark Pennsylvania case when extremists tried to reincarnate creationism as "intelligent design."2023–2026: AU helped stop the first religious public charter school.When Oklahoma approved St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, AU sued and helped fight what would have been the nation's first religious public school. After the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked the school, a deadlocked U.S. Supreme Court left that decision in place. AU continues to fight new iterations of these religious public charter schools in Oklahoma and Tennessee.2025: AU helped stop Oklahoma's Bible mandate.When Oklahoma's state superintendent tried to spend public money on Bibles and ordered every public school to use the Bible in lessons, AU challenged the plan in court and blocked it. We made the essential point: Politicians and public-school teachers have no role in directing a child's religious instruction.Now we are in the next chapter of that fight, and it’s a vital one that will shape our future for decades to come. The religious-extremist movement pushing these policies has grown more coordinated and better funded, while the Supreme Court has expanded religious privilege in several areas of law. That makes the Texas Ten Commandments cases especially critical, and we are fighting with everything we’ve got.
I don't know what the Supreme Court will decide if it agrees to hear our cases. But I do know that AU will keep fighting it in court, in statehouses, in public schools, and in the national conversation – wherever and whenever we can.
That work depends on people who understand why this matters and choose to support it. A monthly gift helps AU stay ready for the next fight, wherever it emerges.
For nearly 80 years, AU has fought to protect public education that remains inclusive and secular, welcoming the diverse beliefs of every student. We are carrying that work forward now, and I am grateful to have you with us. We couldn’t do it without you.
With hope and resolve,
Rachel k. laserPresident and CEO
Comments
Post a Comment