PHOTO OF THE DAY: HOUSE OF STATE GOVERNMENT
This photo, taken in 2019 on the day of the inauguration of Kristi Noem as the first-ever woman governor of South Dakota, shows the front of the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre. This year, the 100th session of the South Dakota Legislature is well underway, and among the topics of discussion is a bill that would require public schools in the state to display the Ten Commandments in all classrooms. The Courier editorialized about the issue in its Jan. 30 issue.
NO TEN COMMANDMENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS
On Tuesday, the South Dakota Senate narrowly passed Senate Bill 51, which would require the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public school classrooms — clearly a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
What’s so hard to understand about the separation of church and state?
That question is at the crux of a confounding move by some to require the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public school classrooms. Last June, Louisiana became the first state to enact such a law beginning in 2025 — a move that was ultimately struck down by a federal judge in November.
This week, a Kentucky lawmaker introduced House Bill 116 that would give teachers permission to use or post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms — but not require it.
And right here in South Dakota, Senate Bill 51 cleared a hurdle on Tuesday when it passed the Senate 18-17. District 19 Senator Kyle Schoenfish, R-Scotland and chair of Senate Education, wisely voted nay on the measure.
The bill that would mandate public schools to display of the Ten Commandments and teach about their historical significance now moves on to the House of Representatives. If passed, the new law would replace the existing langauage that gives schools the option of displaying the Ten Commandments.
Those who favor the move, including Sen. John Carley, a Republican from Piedmont who introduced the bill, say it is not about religion, but rather history.
In addition to 8×14-inch posters with “easily readable font,” schools would also be required to display a three-part, 225-word statement with information about the Ten Commandments’ historical significance. Senate Bill 51 would also require the commandments be taught as part of historic and civics classes three times during a student’s education. Additional provisions in the bill include instruction on state and federal constitutions, the federal Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
While there is certainly value in “historical significance,” the posting of the Ten Commandments in classrooms is a religious move, plain and simple, and that is in violation of the First Amendment.
While the words “separation of church and state” do not appear in the U.S. Constitution, the concept is clear in the language; in fact, it’s the first guaranteed freedom: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”
And, in an 1802 letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists, Jefferson said this: “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”
While the Ten Commandments — and the Christian Church — were part of the fabric of our Founding Fathers, it seems pretty clear that our history never intended either to be pushed onto others. Rather those who hold those beliefs should use homes, churches and private institutions for that messaging. Let’s hope the South Dakota House gets this right. – Jeremy Waltner
