Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he wants to ensure school districts are complying with state law requiring their display in public classrooms

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a statewide investigation into multiple school districts — including Corpus Christi ISD — to determine whether districts are complying with a new state law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments.

According to Paxton’s office, the investigation focuses on Senate Bills 10 and 11, both approved during the 89th Texas Legislative Session and effective as of Sept. 1, 2025.

SB 10 requires Texas public schools to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms if they meet specific state guidelines. SB 11 requires school boards to vote on whether campuses will allow designated times for prayer and reading of religious texts, including the Bible.

Paxton said his office is demanding documentation from districts showing whether school boards held the required vote under SB 11 and whether districts are complying with the Ten Commandments display requirements under SB 10.

“I will always fight for students’ fundamental right to pray in our schools and work to ensure that Texas kids are able to learn from the Ten Commandments daily,” Paxton said in a statement. “Texas school districts must comply with Texas law by displaying the Ten Commandments and taking a school board vote regarding the implementation of prayer time in schools.”

The attorney general’s office says districts have also been asked to provide policies and records related to the display — or lack of display — of the Ten Commandments on campuses.

Corpus Christi ISD was among nearly 30 districts named in the investigation. Others include districts in Austin, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, McAllen, Brownsville, Victoria, Beaumont, El Paso and San Antonio.

The announcement comes after legal challenges surrounding SB 10 were resolved in federal court. Paxton’s office says the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the constitutionality of the law, allowing it to take effect statewide.

Paxton has also publicly urged school districts across Texas to reinstate prayer in schools following passage of SB 11.