Image Credit: TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative News –
The Tennessee State Senate voted along party lines to pass legislation that would authorize local school boards and governing bodies of charter schools to showcase foundational U.S. documents, as well as the Ten Commandments.
Senate Bill 0303 (SB0303), sponsored by State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon-D17), “as introduced, authorizes local boards of education and governing bodies of public charter schools to display the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Constitution of Tennessee, the Bill of Rights, a resolution honoring the history of a school in the LEA or the public charter school, or other historically significant documents in a prominent location in each school building.”
After voting to conform to companion House Bill 0047 (HB0047), sponsored by State Representative Michael Hale (R-Smithville-D40), senators then voted to adopt an amendment that would now make it a requirement for all public schools and public charter schools to display the Ten Commandments, the first sentence of the second paragraph of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, and the preamble to the United States Constitution.
The amendment also specifies that all three items must be displayed together in a “prominent location” such as an entryway, cafeteria, or other common area. The text must be no smaller than 26-point font and must be in “a style and manner that is easy for students to see and read.”
State Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville-D21) questioned the inclusion of the Ten Commandments, arguing that the country was founded on religious freedom and the idea of no set religion. Pody rebutted that, stating that the Ten Commandments was a founding document in the creation of the original thirteen colonies. Yarbro argued that was never true for the state of Tennessee.
State Senator London Lamar (D-Memphis-D33) asked if districts would be prevented from posting texts from other religions, to which Pody replied that schools would not be prevented from doing anything that was already currently allowed. Lamar finished by stating that she did not believe it was the place of the legislature to be pushing religious indoctrination on students.
State Senator Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City-D3) then reminded legislators that the body has previously passed legislation that required the posting of “In God We Trust” in schools.
Several others spoke in favor of the bill, including State Senator Paul Rose (R-Covington-D32) who noted that the Ten Commandments were displayed in the nation’s capital in locations such as the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives. State Senator Adam Lowe also noted that the legislation put the Ten Commandments into a historical context and not a religious context.
Following discussion, a vote was taken and the legislation was passed with 27 ayes and 6 noes.
