In this era of so-called parental rights in public education, hypocrisy abounds.

Texas lawmakers are concerned about the content children could be exposed to in public school libraries, but have moved forward with separate pieces of legislation that would require the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom and allow districts to require dedicated time for prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts.

Parents should be the arbiters of the religious education their children receive — not the state.

In many troubling ways, this latest effort builds on legislation signed into law in 2021 that requires schools to display donated “In God we trust” signs.

Senate Bill 1515, authored by Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, would require display of the Ten Commandments. Senate Bill 1396, authored by Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, would designate time for prayer, reading of the Bible or other religious texts. And just who would be leading these prayers and readings?

Should these bills become law, it will fall to the courts to determine whether they violate the establishment clause of the Bill of Rights, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

The United States has a long history of debating the display of religious text and symbols in public spaces. Many of the legal questions these bills potentially raise revolve around whether they constitute an endorsement of a particular religion or treat all faiths with neutrality.

In terms of policy, these bills are deeply problematic. Schools serve students of all faiths as well as atheists. The same can be said of faculty and staff. That there would be a requirement to view the Ten Commandments or set aside designated time for prayer, with a specific legislative emphasis on reading the Bible, has the potential to divide and even exclude students. It carries little regard to the choices their families have made when it comes to religious education.

In a statement celebrating the passage of these bills, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, “Allowing the Ten Commandments and prayer back into our public schools is one step we can take to make sure that all Texans have the right to freely express their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

But what if your religious beliefs are not reflected by the Ten Commandments? The point here is displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms and bringing prayer onto public school campuses isn’t universal, so neither is the implied religious freedom. Rather, such a mandate amplifies the beliefs of some while subjugating the beliefs of others.

These bills have passed the Texas Senate at the very time a push for school vouchers, which would redirect public dollars to private schools, many of which are religious, has stalled in the Texas House.

They are two sides of the same problematic coin.

Public schools and religion are best not mixed. There is a reason Thomas Jefferson, in an 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, characterized the establishment clause as a “wall of separation” between church and state. And that reason is because we are a nation in which people enjoy freedom of religion — any religion — as well as freedom from religion.

Once again, state lawmakers are seeking to address a nonexistent problem. Options abound for those parents who hope to provide meaningful religious education to their children. They can attend church. They can also opt for private school. They can study religious texts at home. They can put the Ten Commandments on their living room wall.

But to require the Ten Commandments be displayed in public school classrooms would not be an expression of religious freedom, but rather an expression of state control.

Our prayer is that one day Texans will elect lawmakers who have the wisdom to ensure schools are inclusive places for all students regardless of race, religion, gender or orientation; free of gun violence and adequately funded. That day is far away.

— San Antonio Express-News