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Texas Senate panel advances bill requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms
The committee also gave initial approval to a bill that would allow prayer in schools.

A Texas Senate committee on Tuesday advanced bills that would require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments and allow districts to provide students with time to pray during school hours.

The vote sends the two bills to the full Senate for consideration and is the latest sign of confidence by conservative Christians that courts will codify their opposition to church-state separation into federal law and spark a revitalization of faith in America.

That much was clear throughout the hearing, as supporters and some lawmakers argued that the legislation would reverse what they see as decades of national, moral decline.

“Our schools are not God-free zones,” said Sen. Mayes Middleton, a Galveston Republican who authored the school prayer bill and has argued that church-state separation is not real. “When prayer was taken out of our schools, things started to go downhill in America.”

The vote comes amid a broader push by conservative Christians to infuse more religion into public schools and life. In just the last few years, state Republicans have required classrooms to hang donated signs that say “In God We Trust”; allowed unlicensed religious chaplains to supplant mental health counselors in public schools; and approved new curriculum materials that teach the Bible and other religious texts alongside grade-school lessons.

Last month, Texas senators also approved legislation that would allow public taxpayer money to be redirected to private schools, including parochial schools.

Those efforts have come as the Texas GOP increasingly embraces ideologies that argue America’s founding was God-ordained, and its institutions and laws should thus reflect fundamentalist Christians views. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers and leaders have continually elevated once-fringe claims that the wall between church and state is a myth meant to obscure America’s true, Christian roots. The argument has been popularized by figures such as David Barton, a Texas pastor and self-styled “amateur historian” whose work has been frequently debunked by trained historians, many of them also conservative Christians.

Barton and his son, Timothy Barton, were both invited to testify in favor of the bills on Tuesday. Citing old documents and textbooks that mention the Ten Commandments, they argued that Christianity is the basis for American law and morality, and that their inclusion in classrooms would prevent societal ill such as gun violence.

“It used to be there was a very clear moral standard that we could point to,” Timothy Barton testified, calling it “ironic” that children can be arrested for breaking the law — and thus, he said, the Ten Commandments — but that they should not be able to read them in schools.

Other bill supporters and lawmakers said that there was a moral and spiritual imperative to introduce children to Christianity. Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, cited a study that found around 25% of children have been to church.

“It’s absolutely horrific, and something we all need to work on to address,” he said.

Other lawmakers similarly invoked declining Christian participation as a reason to support the bills. “There is eternal life,” said Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels. “And if we don’t expose or introduce our children and others to that, then when they die, they’ll have one birth and two deaths.”

Texas is one of 16 states where lawmakers are pursuing bills to require the Ten Commandments in classrooms — pushes that supporters say have been enabled by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. In 2019’s Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, for instance, the court ruled in favor of a Washington state football coach, Joe Kennedy, who argued that his employer, a public high school, was violating his religious rights by prohibiting him from leading prayers on the field after games.

Kennedy was among those who testified in support of the Texas bills on Tuesday. He was joined by Matt Krause, a former state House representative and current lawyer at First Liberty Institute, a Texas-based law firm that represented Kennedy and other high-profile plaintiffs in lawsuits that have allowed for more Christianity in public life.

The Kennedy case, Krause testified, was a “huge paradigm shift” that allowed for the Ten Commandments to be in classrooms because of its historical significance to American law and history. Asked about the recent court decision that blocked a similar Louisiana law, Krause said he expected the Texas bill would be upheld if it were taken to the ultraconservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and, after that, the U.S. Supreme Court.

The bills have been strongly opposed by religious history scholars and some Christian groups, who argue that they are based on mischaracterizations of early American history and amount to a coercion of religion upon students. Opponents also say that the Ten Commandments bill diminishes a sacred text by stripping it of its religious nature, and that introducing more Christianity into schools will exacerbate tensions and isolate Texas’ growing number of non-Christian students.

“Since 2021, this Legislature has used its authority to impose increasingly divisive policies onto school districts, banning culturally relevant curriculum, forcing libraries to purge undesirable books and putting teachers into the crosshairs of overzealous critics,” said Jaime Puente of the nonprofit Every Texan. The bills “are two giant pieces of red meat that will further harm our schools.”

Christian opponents also testified that the bills would erode church-state separations — a cause that has historically been championed by Baptists and other denominations that faced intense religious persecution in early America.

“All Baptists are called to protect the separation of church and state,” said Jody Harrison, an ordained minister and leader of Baptist Women in Ministry. “Is it really justice to promote one type of Christianity over all schoolchildren?”

Harrison’s comments were strongly opposed by Campbell, the senator. “The Baptist doctrine is Christ-centered,” she said. “Its purpose is not to go around trying to defend this or that. It is to be a disciple and a witness for Christ. That includes the Ten Commandments. That’s prayer in schools. It is not a fight for separation between church and state.”

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Posted
10 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Mayes Middleton, a Galveston Republican who authored the school prayer bill and has argued that church-state separation is not real.

Let’s be real clear that Mayes was a Plan 2 Honors Fiji and knows better.  He’s essentially purchased himself a position within the GOP with inherited oil money and has figured out that pandering to the lowest intellect voters is good business (and so far has been proven correct).  
 

You don’t get in front of this except as a sop to west Texas billionaire partisans that you’re someone worth investing in as Abbott and Patrick move on.  

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Posted

Can they explain how taking god out of schools started America downhill?  Were these Christian kids suddenly not Christian?  Did they suddenly stop praying silently whenever they felt like it?  All that was really restricted is the performative aspects of religion. 

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Posted
3 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

All that was really restricted is the performative aspects of religion. 

Being that "performative aspects" is the full measure of American "Christianity" -- there is no actual gospel-based theology to be found -- now you can understand where we are.

"Christianity" is just a self-given label that is entirely performative while also providing a shield against any and all consequences of being an absolute dick.  You're mad because I just walked up to you and kicked you in the nuts?  Too bad, I had to do it, it's my deeply and sincerely held religious belief.  You're mad because I embezzled millions from our business?  To bad, embezzlement is a deeply and sincerely held religious belief.

"SINCERELY HELD RELIGIOUS BELIEF!"

78017051-0-image-a-11_1700478439912.jpg

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Posted
1 hour ago, bolverk said:

Texas Senate panel advances bill requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms
The committee also gave initial approval to a bill that would allow prayer in schools.

A Texas Senate committee on Tuesday advanced bills that would require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments and allow districts to provide students with time to pray during school hours.

The vote sends the two bills to the full Senate for consideration and is the latest sign of confidence by conservative Christians that courts will codify their opposition to church-state separation into federal law and spark a revitalization of faith in America.

That much was clear throughout the hearing, as supporters and some lawmakers argued that the legislation would reverse what they see as decades of national, moral decline.

“Our schools are not God-free zones,” said Sen. Mayes Middleton, a Galveston Republican who authored the school prayer bill and has argued that church-state separation is not real. “When prayer was taken out of our schools, things started to go downhill in America.”

The vote comes amid a broader push by conservative Christians to infuse more religion into public schools and life. In just the last few years, state Republicans have required classrooms to hang donated signs that say “In God We Trust”; allowed unlicensed religious chaplains to supplant mental health counselors in public schools; and approved new curriculum materials that teach the Bible and other religious texts alongside grade-school lessons.

Last month, Texas senators also approved legislation that would allow public taxpayer money to be redirected to private schools, including parochial schools.

Those efforts have come as the Texas GOP increasingly embraces ideologies that argue America’s founding was God-ordained, and its institutions and laws should thus reflect fundamentalist Christians views. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers and leaders have continually elevated once-fringe claims that the wall between church and state is a myth meant to obscure America’s true, Christian roots. The argument has been popularized by figures such as David Barton, a Texas pastor and self-styled “amateur historian” whose work has been frequently debunked by trained historians, many of them also conservative Christians.

Barton and his son, Timothy Barton, were both invited to testify in favor of the bills on Tuesday. Citing old documents and textbooks that mention the Ten Commandments, they argued that Christianity is the basis for American law and morality, and that their inclusion in classrooms would prevent societal ill such as gun violence.

“It used to be there was a very clear moral standard that we could point to,” Timothy Barton testified, calling it “ironic” that children can be arrested for breaking the law — and thus, he said, the Ten Commandments — but that they should not be able to read them in schools.

Other bill supporters and lawmakers said that there was a moral and spiritual imperative to introduce children to Christianity. Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, cited a study that found around 25% of children have been to church.

“It’s absolutely horrific, and something we all need to work on to address,” he said.

Other lawmakers similarly invoked declining Christian participation as a reason to support the bills. “There is eternal life,” said Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels. “And if we don’t expose or introduce our children and others to that, then when they die, they’ll have one birth and two deaths.”

Texas is one of 16 states where lawmakers are pursuing bills to require the Ten Commandments in classrooms — pushes that supporters say have been enabled by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. In 2019’s Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, for instance, the court ruled in favor of a Washington state football coach, Joe Kennedy, who argued that his employer, a public high school, was violating his religious rights by prohibiting him from leading prayers on the field after games.

Kennedy was among those who testified in support of the Texas bills on Tuesday. He was joined by Matt Krause, a former state House representative and current lawyer at First Liberty Institute, a Texas-based law firm that represented Kennedy and other high-profile plaintiffs in lawsuits that have allowed for more Christianity in public life.

The Kennedy case, Krause testified, was a “huge paradigm shift” that allowed for the Ten Commandments to be in classrooms because of its historical significance to American law and history. Asked about the recent court decision that blocked a similar Louisiana law, Krause said he expected the Texas bill would be upheld if it were taken to the ultraconservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and, after that, the U.S. Supreme Court.

The bills have been strongly opposed by religious history scholars and some Christian groups, who argue that they are based on mischaracterizations of early American history and amount to a coercion of religion upon students. Opponents also say that the Ten Commandments bill diminishes a sacred text by stripping it of its religious nature, and that introducing more Christianity into schools will exacerbate tensions and isolate Texas’ growing number of non-Christian students.

“Since 2021, this Legislature has used its authority to impose increasingly divisive policies onto school districts, banning culturally relevant curriculum, forcing libraries to purge undesirable books and putting teachers into the crosshairs of overzealous critics,” said Jaime Puente of the nonprofit Every Texan. The bills “are two giant pieces of red meat that will further harm our schools.”

Christian opponents also testified that the bills would erode church-state separations — a cause that has historically been championed by Baptists and other denominations that faced intense religious persecution in early America.

“All Baptists are called to protect the separation of church and state,” said Jody Harrison, an ordained minister and leader of Baptist Women in Ministry. “Is it really justice to promote one type of Christianity over all schoolchildren?”

Harrison’s comments were strongly opposed by Campbell, the senator. “The Baptist doctrine is Christ-centered,” she said. “Its purpose is not to go around trying to defend this or that. It is to be a disciple and a witness for Christ. That includes the Ten Commandments. That’s prayer in schools. It is not a fight for separation between church and state.”

 

church of satan will love this 

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Posted
On 3/1/2025 at 9:05 AM, Bozo_Casanova said:

Things going well for the voucher crowd in Palestine

https://x.com/amydfennell/status/1895681963815813615?s=46&t=WQWp8jCL9d3WDAPBWICDFQ

East Texas is not amused.  I come from a small town out there, and while they're definitely in the red, life centers around the schools and the churches. Even in blood red Texas, they've not been putting up with the voucher scam BS.  

54 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

church of satan will love this 

giphy.gif?cid=6c09b952o5j3smq5rbj0b5yq26

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Posted

I found out today that due to the Texas legislature being little bitches and President Musk taking a chainsaw to everything in DC, our school is losing 9 teaching positions for next year, including 3 special ed teachers who were funded by DOE grants. I'm gonna have to get creative and figure out how to sit/stack 40 kids in my small classroom each period.

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Posted
25 minutes ago, HornOnTheBayou said:

I found out today that due to the Texas legislature being little bitches and President Musk taking a chainsaw to everything in DC, our school is losing 9 teaching positions for next year, including 3 special ed teachers who were funded by DOE grants. I'm gonna have to get creative and figure out how to sit/stack 40 kids in my small classroom each period.

All those kids who needed special ed teachers should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps.  They are leeches and freeloaders, and we should celebrate Elon taking a chainsaw to them.

MAGA!

Posted
51 minutes ago, safe sex said:

As I've said, the only thing Luigi did wrong was get caught

 

are we sure it's him? I haven't really kept up with it. seems like there was doubt early on, but maybe that was just internet bs

Posted

Once the list is posted it will be interesting to see how long each person lasts. I am a pacifist and don't believe in violence or capital punishment, typical anti gun limp wristed libtard, but it will be interesting when all the chickens come home to roost. The reaction will be comical, especially if it is happening when we are in a hot war with Canada. 

Posted
3 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

All those kids who needed special ed teachers should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps.  They are leeches and freeloaders, and we should celebrate Elon taking a chainsaw to them.

MAGA!

Oh, I agree. But you need to think about the big picture. If school districts are cutting funding for special ed teachers, soon they're going to start cutting my cat litter budget. Am I going to have to pay out-of-pocket just so my students who identify as cats can go to the bathroom?!? And between you and me, the rumor going around school is that teachers are going to have to start paying for all the surgical tools and anesthesia we use when we turn girls into boys at school. I average two of those a week and those costs add up quickly!

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Posted
On 1/18/2024 at 8:35 AM, Catdaddyhorn said:

I just did a tour of Frank Black Middle school last November for my 5th grader and I must have gotten a complete snow job if what you say is true. The art teacher showed us some of the projects the kids were working on to present at the rodeo and they were extremely impressive. He even mentioned one of the kids in the previous year sold his art work for 10s of thousands of dollars there.  Prior to this year I heard so many great things about Frank Black that it was a no brainer to send my kids there, but after all of the horror stories about uninterested teachers and fighting, I've decided to sit down and fill out the magnet application today. I guess Hogg, Lanier, and/or TH Rogers will move Frank Black down the list. 

 

Did you end up going to Frank Black?

 

On 1/18/2024 at 1:43 PM, Nivek said:

They also gave us a nice showing when we did the tour.  I talked with their Admin staff and SPED program coordinators while my kid was a 5th grader at OFE.   We had an ARD meeting before the boy set foot on campus and my wife was really confident we were good to go.  They put him in 2 AP classes and not the Vanguard program.  For 2 weeks we didn't know this until one of his teachers informed us.  Then its onto a schedule change.  It turns out that something like 2/3rds of the OFE kids go into the Vanguard program which helps to separate them somewhat from other students.    

Yesterday they had testing, we asked our son about it.  They put an 8th grade teacher in charge of it.  Great.  So his accomodations weren't provided and they had no idea.   We have to fucking ask the people whose job it is to do their job for today's testing.   

 

 

 

We're Round Rock ISD. Two youngest are in elementary. I got this email 20 minutes ago. 

image.thumb.png.58d604686e6fb3fe755ac1d435988955.png

 

What are your thoughts on her?  She'd been at Frank Black for 4 and a half years.  I saw your comments on other threads and you had a few criticisms of her. Had things gotten better? Overall impression? 

Posted
2 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

 

Did you end up going to Frank Black?

 

 

We're Round Rock ISD. Two youngest are in elementary. I got this email 20 minutes ago. 

image.thumb.png.58d604686e6fb3fe755ac1d435988955.png

 

What are your thoughts on her?  She'd been at Frank Black for 4 and a half years.  I saw your comments on other threads and you had a few criticisms of her. Had things gotten better? Overall impression? 

I would say there are some slight improvements at FBMS, but some of the issues seem to be systemic and/or rooted in HISD issues.   So while it is hard to discern exactly her role and responsibility was, I tend to think she isn't great, but if the culture is good at the school she might OK there.  

 

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Posted
12 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

 

Did you end up going to Frank Black?

 

 

We're Round Rock ISD. Two youngest are in elementary. I got this email 20 minutes ago. 

image.thumb.png.58d604686e6fb3fe755ac1d435988955.png

 

What are your thoughts on her?  She'd been at Frank Black for 4 and a half years.  I saw your comments on other threads and you had a few criticisms of her. Had things gotten better? Overall impression? 

We ended up at Lanier.

 

Posted
7 hours ago, Nivek said:

I would say there are some slight improvements at FBMS, but some of the issues seem to be systemic and/or rooted in HISD issues.   So while it is hard to discern exactly her role and responsibility was, I tend to think she isn't great, but if the culture is good at the school she might OK there.  

 

Good to know, thanks.  Our former principal was bad at every aspect of the job.  So bad he got reassigned halfway through the school year.  She's going to be facing a challenging environment - the staff turnover rate this summer was 70%.  Fortunately we have a GREAT PTA and the parents are incredibly supportive which is the only reason the school has survived the last handful of years.  We're a Title 1 school due to a large influx of new apartments being built around our little neighborhood but there are a good number of upper middle class folk here- part of the problem is we're always testing below what our socio/economic numbers indicate we should be at.  Hopefully we'll be able to support her in a way that's helpful.



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