Draya Rios/THE RIDER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
Despite a recent federal appeals court decision allowing the requirement to move forward in Texas schools, the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District has not put the Ten Commandments on display in classrooms, according to an ECISD official.
School districts cannot use state funds to purchase the displays, leaving them dependent on outside donations.
“Our policy remains the same,” wrote Lisa Ayala, director of public relations and media communications for ECISD, in an email to The Rider April 24. “If someone were to donate posters, then we will get direction as to putting them up. Up to now, there have been no donated posters or items with the Ten Commandments. So, we do not have any displays in classrooms.”
Texas Senate Bill 10, requiring Ten Commandments displays in public schools, was introduced on Feb. 10, 2025, and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 21, 2025.
Following a federal district judge’s block in August 2025, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard the case, and on April 21, reversed the lower court to uphold the law.
“It’s this funny thing that they’re required to post them, but they can’t actually use state funds to buy them, so they have to be donated,” said Mark Kaswan, UTRGV associate professor of political science. “So, what do you do if nobody donates them?”
Kaswan said the policy raises constitutional concerns related to the separation of church and state.
“On the face, it appears pretty much exactly the kind of thing that the founders intended to prohibit with the First Amendment,” he said.
Kaswan added displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms could be seen as promoting a specific set of religious beliefs.
In an April 21 news release, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas wrote, “The First Amendment safeguards the separation of church and state, and the freedom of families to choose how, when and if to provide their children with religious instruction. This decision tramples those rights.”
The statement came after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld Senate Bill 10, which requires the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom in Texas.
Kaswan said the long-term impact of the policy remains unclear though supporters may view it as part of a broader effort to shape public life.
“What it’s oriented toward and its intention is to create a more Christian society,” he said.
Kaswan added the policy may have limited impact inside classrooms.
“I think the vast majority of kids who go into a classroom and the Ten Commandments are there are going to ignore it,” he said.
