We need some real guidance here.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Galveston Independent School District on Friday for not following a new state law requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms while the legislation is challenged in federal court.
State lawmakers earlier this year passed Senate Bill 10, which requires schools to accept posters or framed copies of the Ten Commandments and to display them “in a conspicuous place” in classrooms. Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 10 in late June, a day after a federal appeals court in Louisiana found a similar law “plainly unconstitutional.”
After SB 10 took effect on Sept. 1, state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, donated posters with the Ten Commandments to the Galveston district, according to the lawsuit. But Galveston ISD’s board of trustees voted in late October to delay hanging any donated posters, citing ongoing lawsuits over the constitutionality of the law. Galveston ISD is not part of the lawsuits.
“We will closely monitor any possible litigation and consult with our legal counsel before making further decisions,” a Galveston spokesperson said in an email Friday. “In the meantime, our focus remains on elevating instruction, valuing a respectful culture, and promoting a safe environment for students and staff.”
[…]
It is unclear whether the lawsuit against Galveston ISD conflicts with state attorneys’ arguments defending SB 10. In the first case challenging the law’s constitutionality, they have said the law does not pose any threat or harm to families in part because it doesn’t specify what would happen to districts that choose not to comply.
See here, here, here, here, and here for the background. That’s one way to know that this has gone on too long without some kind of resolution. Well, the original ruling by Judge Biery should have been enough, but we remain cursed with Ken Paxton, so.
The Fifth Circuit will eventually offer some clarity, one hopes of the good kind. A ruling on the most recent lawsuit, also filed before Judge Biery, should offer a few more districts some protection. I wish it were easier, but the answer for now continues to be for more districts to file these suits. Until then, we wait.