At their regular meeting Tuesday, trustees for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Board of Education moved to prepare a resolution ordering the placement of a display containing six historically significant documents in each of its schools.
The documents to be displayed include the Declaration of Independence; the preamble to the U.S. Constitution; the Bill of Rights; the national anthem; the Mayflower Compact; and the Ten Commandments.
Speaking at the meeting, Area 3 Trustee and Board Chairwoman Mary Little said the documents provide a moral and legal foundation of the United States and the Ten Commandments have shaped cultural norms and laws in Western culture.
“They do have a religious significance and I do understand everybody’s concern,” Little said at the meeting.
“Our court of law is based on the Ten Commandments. It’s the breaking of laws that our system was built upon and it has the legal considerations of that. (The Ten Commandments) has the constitutional issues particularly concerning the separation of church and state, which, there is no separation of church and state.”
The board is being backed in its efforts by the Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based law firm focused on religious issues. Liberty Counsel drafted a resolution for the board which is “litigation proof,” according to Mariah Gondeiro, an attorney with the organization, which states it embraces a worldview that is historically Christian and biblical.
“We’re living at a time in this country when the powers that be don’t want the public to be educated on our rights,” Gondeiro told the board Tuesday, joining the meeting remotely.
“It’s more important than ever that young children are aware of the foundation of our government, our republican form of government, especially before they go to college where people are just spewing anti-America, anti-hate rhetoric.”
The documents and the display would be paid for by private organizations so no public money would go toward the project, but Gondeiro noted installing the displays would likely lead to litigation.
“Even if a private organization were to fund this, it’s still going to be tied up in litigation,” she said.
When the board last discussed this topic in June, attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California sent letters warning of legal action.
Little noted Liberty Counsel has agreed to represent the Board of Education for free should litigation be filed.
The cost of entering the Kern County Superintendent of Schools into a national debate on religion in schools was worth it to place foundational documents in schools, Little said.
“If (litigation) is going to benefit and put some great documents in our schools, why would I be opposed to that?” Little told The Californian.
If the resolution moves forward, KCSOS would be the first district in the state to make such a move, something some board members saw as a bonus.
“I do think it’s kind of cool that we make history,” said Area 5 Trustee Lori Eskew.
“Here in Kern County, it seems some school boards follow our lead,” said Area 6 Trustee James Robinson. “Take Title IX, for example. Oh, what wonderful things could happen should we decide to pass this resolution and other districts pick it up.”
Title IX is a 1972 federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity that receives federal funding.
Reactions from the public were mixed. Only a few people gave comment on the matter, with speakers fairly evenly split between being for and against the displays.
“This topic should be a no-brainer,” said Dennis McLean. “In this culture, we need faith and trust and truth for our children. It should be in all public schools.”
Lindsey Parker, who said she had two children in Kern County public schools, said faith is a personal matter.
“When we put one religion’s commandments on a classroom wall, even with good intentions, it sends the wrong message,” Parker said. “It tells some kids that they belong more than others.”
Little called the resolution “a working document” and said it would be discussed at the board’s next meeting. The KCSOS board meets the second Tuesday of every month.
Because the second Tuesday of next month is Nov. 11, Veterans Day, the board’s meeting has been rescheduled to Thursday, Nov. 13.
If the county Board of Education were to pass a resolution to display the documents, most schools in Kern County would not be directly impacted.
The board of KCSOS only oversees six community schools with about 400 students in alternative education settings. Board members Tuesday asked that a list of the impacted schools be included in next month’s discussion.