Religious Commandments Don’t Belong in Public Schools

HB 313 Requires Ten Commandments
Be Displayed in Schools’ Entrances, Libraries, and Cafeterias

In a clear violation of the separation of church and state enshrined in the First Amendment — “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” — Georgia Republican Rep. Emory Dunahoo (R-Gillsville) introduced HB-313 to “authorize and require all public elementary and secondary schools to display the Ten Commandments in multiple locations.”

According to Fox 5 Atlanta, Dunahoo “argues that the Ten Commandments is a foundational document of state and national government,” on par with the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag, the Pledge of Allegiance to the Georgia Flag, the Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation Proclamation. 

“Republicans pushing to add the Ten Commandments to public schools clearly need a civics refresher on the separation of church and state,” said DPG spokesman Dave Hoffman. “This bill is unconstitutional, and the culture war fight they’re provoking won’t do anything to improve public education across Georgia.”

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