Four organizations including the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter today to public school superintendents across Texas warning them not to implement SB 10, an unconstitutional state law that purports to require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every elementary- and secondary-school classroom. The letter also advises districts that have already posted the Ten Commandments due to SB 10 to immediately remove the displays.
The letter from FFRF, the ACLU of Texas, the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State notifies superintendents of this week’s federal court decision in Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District, which ruled that SB 10 is “plainly unconstitutional” and prohibited the school district defendants from implementing or enforcing it while the lawsuit continues. The letter explains: “Even though your district is not a party to the ongoing lawsuit, all school districts have an independent obligation to respect students’ and families’ constitutional rights. Because the U.S. Constitution supersedes state law, public-school officials may not comply with SB 10.”
Last month, a group of 16 multifaith and nonreligious families with children in Texas’ public schools filed suit in Nathan, asserting that SB 10 violates the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitutions. The four organizations that sent today’s letter also represent the plaintiffs in Nathan and issued the following statement regarding the letter: “Texas school districts must not comply with SB 10. A Texas federal court has already ruled that the statute is ‘plainly unconstitutional.’ Public-school officials are legally required to protect and uphold the constitutional rights of students and families, including their right to religious freedom under the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. Implementing SB 10 would violate this obligation and could result in litigation being filed against school districts that do so. Districts that have already posted displays of the Ten Commandments must immediately remove them.”
Read the full letter to superintendents here.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters of nontheism. With more than 42,000 members, FFRF advocates for freethinkers’ rights across the globe. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
The post FFRF and others warn Texas schools about 10 Commandments law after court ruling appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.
