Make a Difference

SB 10 requires all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments in a “conspicuous” place. The Ten Commandments must meet certain size requirements, be visible from anywhere in the classroom, and it must be in the King James translation. Schools are not required to purchase their own copies, but they are required to accept donations that meet the parameters laid out in the law.

Read this fact sheet for more information.

Various court cases and rulings continue to impact the situation. Some school districts have already received donations of the Ten Commandments posters; for other school school districts, the law is paused because of an injunction put in place by a federal judge. However, on April 21, 2026, a court ruled the law can go into effect, but no injunctions were immediately lifted. This is active in the courts — for updates, click here.

Teachers are the people students and families talk to every day, being forced to display the Ten Commandments puts you in the position of answering hard questions you did not create and cannot control.

What appears on classroom walls can feel like an endorsement to students. These displays may prompt questions, strong reactions, or concerns from students and their families.
As Texas educators, you are required to follow the Texas Educator Code of Ethics. You have a responsibility to provide ALL students with a quality education, which includes fostering an inclusive environment.

For talking points on why the Ten Commandments Law is bad for religious freedom for all and bad for our nation’s public schools, click here.

This summary is not intended as legal advice, but rather general information about the boundaries of religion in public schools. See Freedom Forum’s Religion & Public Schools: First Amendment Guide for more details.

The First Amendment’s two religion clauses protect against the establishment of religion and affirm the free exercise of faith. Under the establishment clause, schools may not impose or inhibit religion. Under the free exercise clause, schools must protect freedom of religious belief and practice.

As state employees, you (public school teachers) are bound by the establishment clause, meaning you must remain neutral in your treatment of religion. This includes avoiding the promotion of religion while also protecting all students’ religious liberty. In your official capacities, you should not participate with students in prayer or other religious activities. When you teach religion, it must be academic, not devotional. It must be education about religion, not indoctrination of a particular view.

These principles should guide your responses to students’ questions about the Ten Commandments. You can answer questions from students by providing context and historical background. You should also make it very clear when speaking from their own religious perspective (and keep this to a minimum when acting in their official capacity).

For any age group, your three main goals should be:

Affirm students’ religious freedom
Highlight the many faiths that are represented in our country and in our schools
“You probably have friends of all different faiths and beliefs. The Ten Commandments are just one set of beliefs from one faith group.”
Frame the conversation around the historical context of the document, move away from it being a moral document that students must follow
Be honest. If you don’t know the exact right answer, that’s okay. Most students value honesty and transparency
Check and follow any applicable guidance or rules from your school district, your school’s administration, or your union representative.

Otherwise, you can use this guide to help navigate questions about SB 10 with students from early childhood through high school.

As of February 11, 2026, the following school districts are not required to display the Ten Commandments posters because they are a part of the current injunctions:

Districts Subject to the First Injunction:

• Alamo Heights ISD
• North East ISD
• Lackland ISD
• Northside ISD
• Austin ISD
• Lake Travis ISD
• Dripping Springs ISD
• Houston ISD
• Fort Bend ISD
• Cypress Fairbanks ISD
• Plano ISD

Districts Subject to the Second Injunction:

• Comal ISD
• Georgetown ISD
• Conroe ISD
• Flour Bluff ISD
• Fort Worth ISD
• Arlington ISD
• McKinney ISD
• Frisco ISD
• Northwest ISD
• Azle ISD
• Rockwall ISD
• Lovejoy ISD
• Mansfield ISD
• McAllen ISD

These general guidelines are not intended to render legal advice.

If in a district outside of the injunctions: It is probably best to comply with directives from your district leadership and administration. There are no explicit consequences for non-compliance in SB 10 itself, but a teacher can face consequences for failure to comply with state law or directions from their school district or other school authorities. Also, the Attorney General has sued several districts that have refused to comply with SB 10. Please contact your union representative or an attorney if you have any questions or concerns.

If in a district that is part of the current injunctions: An injunction from a federal court means that this law has been determined to be unconstitutional (some of these injunctions are on appeal, but the school districts are still prohibited from posting the displays during the appeal). If your district is subject to an injunction but is still asking you to post the Ten Commandments, contact your union representative, attorney, and/or the ACLU of Texas — they can be reached by going to this website.

1.Talk to your principal.

• Ask how the administration and teachers should respond to parent and teacher questions.
• Ask them to review the sample parent letter, to inform parents of these changes. Only share this letter if the framed Ten Commandments posters are donated to your school.

2.Engage with Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and Site-Based Decision Making (SBDM) committees.

Request to give a PTA program on issues surrounding SB10 and use the resources on this page as needed.

3. Encourage districts to post the name of the donor next to the poster.

This might get some people to look up groups like Moms for Liberty and read their agenda.

4. Share this webpage with other teachers.

This page is here to provide resources and answers to frequently asked questions that thousands of teachers across the state have. Share it with as many teachers as you can.

5. Check this webpage regularly for update,

Litigation is ongoing and may change what is required of teachers. Keep checking this webpage for updates.

Consult with your principal to determine how best to notify parents.

You can use this sample letter as a framework.

You may have objections to the poster you are asked to display. Our recommendation is to display the poster given to you by your administration or donor. Choosing a poster to your liking increases your liability for any potential problems associated with the poster, whereas your administration & state entities hold the liability with any donated or supplied poster.

Displaying additional religious posters that highlight other faiths, though well-intentioned, can still implicate matters of separation of church and state. If you’d like to highlight other faiths in your classroom, consider using these compiled resources from Freedom Forum.

The Freedom Forum created a compilation of resources that can be helpful for continued professional education:

• Constitution 2 Classroom
• Finding Common Ground: A First Amendment Guide to Religion and Public Schools
• Teacher Education Lessons

You also can download and share BJC’s one-pager on religious liberty in public schools.