The message:
The First Amendment guarantees that students and their families – not politicians or the government – get to decide which religious beliefs, if any, they adopt and what role those beliefs will play in their lives.
Unfortunately, the government sometimes strays from this ideal. We're seeing that in South Dakota with Senate Bill 51, legislation that would require the Ten Commandments to be posted in all public school classrooms. This blatantly violates the First Amendment's promise of religious freedom.
The Ten Commandments are, after all, fundamentally religious edicts. Indeed, Senate Bill 51 mandates the specific text that must be used in each display, and the very first words proclaim, "I AM the LORD your God" and direct students to "have no other gods before me."
Public schools, funded by taxpayer dollars, must remain secular spaces that respect the diverse religious beliefs of all students. Only by upholding this principle can we ensure that the freedom of religion remains a cornerstone of our democracy.
Public schools are not Sunday schools, and religious freedom thrives best when the government stays out of it.
Tell our elected leaders to oppose the mandatory display of the Ten Commandments and to vote no on Senate Bill 51.
The recipients:
Your State Representatives
