The Alabama Senate on Tuesday (March 31) approved a requirement for public schools to display a poster of the Ten Commandments, presented in a historical context. It was the first of multiple bills on the Senate special order calendar and was the first of the day where Republicans used cloture to cut off debate.
Senate Bill 99, sponsored by Sen. Keith Kelley, R-Anniston, requires Alabama public schools, starting Jan. 1, 2027, to display a state-approved Ten Commandments poster or framed document in fifth- through 12th-grade classrooms where U.S. history is taught and in a common area of each school.
Size specifications
Under the bill, the display would have to be at least 11 inches by 14 inches, and its layout and design would have to be approved by the state superintendent. The required content is titled “Historical Truths: The Ten Commandments and America’s Founding Documents.”
In addition to listing the Ten Commandments, the text references John Quincy Adams and founding-era documents including the Mayflower Compact. The bill’s legislative findings say the Ten Commandments are part of the Judeo-Christian tradition that shaped Western civilization and ultimately the founding of the United States.
The bill also states that local boards could use donated funds or donated displays to comply but could not be required to spend their own money. It requires the State Department of Education to identify and post on its website a list of free resources for schools.
Criticism of display
The bill’s historical framing was not challenged during legislative debate, but it drew criticism this week from a national historians’ group.
The American Historical Association, an organization that advocates for historical scholarship and standards, sent letters to Alabama lawmakers Tuesday urging them to reject SB99 and its companion bill, House Bill 216 on the grounds that the legislation distorts historical facts.
Similar laws have faced legal challenges. The Louisiana law, which requires displays in public schools and universities, was upheld by a federal court in February. Reports show that at least one school district has distributed them for display.
The Arkansas law has been blocked from implementation, but news reports show the state’s attorney general plans to appeal that decision.
A Texas law has also been blocked, but their attorney general appealed and a decision is pending.
EDITORS NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by the Alabama Daily News.
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