Background: HB 178 and SB 166 would require every public K-12 school and public institution of higher education in Alabama to prominently display the Ten Commandments along with a context statement in a common area such as an entryway or library. The bill also provides for the use of private donations to fund these displays and mandates that the State Department of Education and the Alabama Commission on Higher Education facilitate compliance by identifying and publicizing free resources.
Our Position: We oppose HB 178 and SB 166. The First Amendment guarantees that students and their families —not politicians or the government—get to decide which religious beliefs, if any, they adopt and what role those beliefs will play in their lives. Displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms blatantly violates this promise. Students can’t focus on learning if they don’t feel safe and welcome in their schools. These bills are unconstitutional – plain and simple.
