AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Leander and Round Rock Independent School Districts on Thursday for failure to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
In his filing, Paxton cited Senate Bill 10, a law that went into effect on Sept. 1 and requires public schools to display a copy of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Schools must also accept donations of the document given they meet the law’s requirements.
Leander ISD issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying it “is confounded by the Texas Attorney General’s decision to sue the District over compliance with SB 10.”
The statement continued: “Leander ISD has accepted donated posters and has actively implemented the law in accordance with state requirements. At no point has Leander ISD taken action to defy or disregard the law. Typically, the Attorney General’s Office contacts school districts for clarification prior to initiating action. Had the AG’s Office contacted Leander ISD, the District could have shared its spreadsheet tracking precisely the number of donated posters the District has received and where in the District the posters have been displayed in accordance with SB 10.”
Round Rock ISD confirmed its lack of Ten Commandments posters and is awaiting legal counsel, district spokeswoman Anne Drabicky told the Austin American-Statesman.
The action from Paxton comes on the heels of his similar lawsuit against Galveston ISD earlier this month. He alleged the district had failed to display donated Ten Commandments copies from state Sen. Mays Middleton, R-Galveston.
The Galveston ISD Board of Trustees stated in its Oct. 22 agenda that the group voted to “delay the posting of the donated Ten Commandments posters until after the appeals of the constitutionality of [the law] are fully heard and decided upon.”
Such hearings include one slated for January within a federal appeals court. In August, Judge Fred Biery of San Antonio blocked SB 10 in several districts, including Dripping Springs and Lake Travis. This decision led Paxton to express his intent to “vigorously enforce” the law.