Every public school classroom in Texas must display a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments starting with the 2025–2026 school year. The requirement comes from Senate Bill 10, signed during the 89th Legislative Session, and it is in effect now after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a federal challenge in early 2026. The law sets exact rules for size, wording, and placement, and it relies entirely on private donations for funding. The Ten Commandments in Texas schools mandate is one of several religion-in-education measures the legislature passed in the same session.
What Every Classroom Must Display
The poster or framed copy must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall, printed in a size and typeface legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom.1Texas Legislature Online. Texas Senate Bill 1515 – Display of the Ten Commandments in Public Schools It has to be placed in a conspicuous spot and made of durable materials. School administrators are the ones responsible for making sure every classroom complies.
The wording is not flexible. The law prescribes a specific King James Version-style text that opens with “I AM the LORD thy God” and ends with “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.”1Texas Legislature Online. Texas Senate Bill 1515 – Display of the Ten Commandments in Public Schools Schools cannot substitute a different translation, and the display cannot contain any additional content beyond the prescribed text.
Who Pays for the Posters
No public money goes toward these displays. Schools that do not already have a compliant poster in every classroom must accept any privately donated poster or framed copy, as long as it meets the size and text requirements.1Texas Legislature Online. Texas Senate Bill 1515 – Display of the Ten Commandments in Public Schools If no physical posters are donated, schools may use donated funds set aside for the purpose to buy them.
In practice, that puts the acquisition and distribution work on religious organizations and outside groups, while schools handle the hanging. Administrators are advised to keep records of donations to show how each display was acquired.
Is the Law in Effect Right Now?
Yes. A federal lawsuit sought to block the mandate, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court, vacated the preliminary injunction that had paused enforcement, and dismissed the plaintiffs’ Establishment Clause and Free Exercise claims. The Texas case, Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District, was consolidated for argument with Louisiana’s Roarke v. Brumley and heard by the full 18-judge court in January 2026.2Washington Post. United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The majority held that the case was premature because local districts had not yet finalized what the actual displays would look like, so the court could not weigh harm based on conjecture. Five judges dissented, arguing that the ruling ignored the Supreme Court’s 1980 precedent in Stone v. Graham, which struck down a nearly identical Kentucky law.2Washington Post. United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The ACLU, which represents the plaintiffs, has said it is exploring “all legal pathways forward,” language that points toward a petition for U.S. Supreme Court review. As of early 2026, no cert petition has been filed, but one is widely expected. Until the Supreme Court says otherwise, the law stands throughout the Fifth Circuit, which covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Why the Old Precedent May Not Save Objecting Parents
For decades, Stone v. Graham (1980) was the controlling case. The Supreme Court struck down Kentucky’s classroom Ten Commandments law, finding it had “no secular legislative purpose” and violated the Establishment Clause even though the displays were privately funded.3Justia. Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39 (1980) That decision applied the three-part Lemon test from 1971.
In 2022, the Supreme Court abandoned the Lemon test in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, holding that the Establishment Clause must instead be interpreted “by reference to historical practices and understandings.”4Supreme Court of the United States. Kennedy v. Bremerton School District Texas legislators built SB 10 around that change, arguing the Ten Commandments have been referenced in American legal and political history since the founding. Whether Stone still controls after Kennedy is the central question that a Supreme Court petition would put back on the table.
Other Texas School Religion Laws Passed the Same Session
SB 10 did not pass alone. The 89th Legislature enacted several additional measures affecting religious expression in public schools:
- SB 11 authorizes school boards to adopt a policy giving students and employees an opportunity to participate in a daily period of prayer and Bible or religious text reading.
- SB 965 provides that a school district cannot restrict an employee’s religious speech or prayer while on duty unless the restriction is narrowly tailored to a compelling state interest.
- SB 1049 requires schools to excuse students, at a parent’s request, to attend off-campus religious instruction for up to five hours per week.
- SB 2986 allows schools and universities to let religious organizations use their facilities for worship services and assemblies under certain conditions.
These build on SB 763 from the 88th Session, which authorized districts to employ or accept volunteer chaplains for student support services, funded through the same safety and security budget that covers counselors and social workers.
What Parents and Teachers Can Do
Parents who object to the displays have limited options while the federal ruling stands. One avenue that has not yet been tested in the courts is a state constitutional challenge. Article I, Section 6 of the Texas Constitution states that “no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious society or mode of worship” and that no person shall “be compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship.”5Justia Law. Texas Constitution Art 1 – Sec 6 No reported case has applied that provision to SB 10.
For teachers, the environment has shifted toward accommodating religious expression. Federal guidance requires districts to annually certify they have no policy preventing constitutionally protected religious expression, and state education agencies must maintain a complaint process for anyone who believes their rights have been violated. Failure to comply can result in enforcement actions, including withholding of federal education funds.6U.S. Department of Education. Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer and Religious Expression in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools Combined with SB 965’s protections for on-duty religious speech, teachers in Texas now operate under rules that lean toward permitting religious expression rather than restricting it.
The practical reality for the 2025–2026 school year is that the posters are going up in classrooms across Texas. Any change to the mandate depends on a future Supreme Court decision, and until then, the requirement applies to every public school classroom in the state.