(WHTM) — A Pennsylvania lawmaker proposed a bill requiring the Ten Commandments and multiple other foundational documents to be displayed in Pennsylvania public schools.
The Creation of Law in Our Schools Act, proposed by State Senator Doug Mastriano (R-33), would require the display of the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, the Pennsylvania Consitution, and the U.S. Constitution in the state’s public schools.
“A nation that does not know its history is doomed to lose its identity. By ensuring that our students see and engage with these bedrock documents, we will instill in them a greater appreciation of law, responsibility and the sacrifices made to build this great nation,” Mastriano said on Friday.
In June of 2024, Louisiana approved its own version of the bill, becoming the nation’s first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom, according to the Associated Press.
The bill sparked some controversy, with critics arguing that, due to the commandments’ religious origins, having them in American public schools violates the Constitution.
Similar bills have been proposed in states such as Texas, Utah, and Oklahoma, but the threat of legal battles over the bills’ constitutionality has prevented them from passing, per the AP.
Mastriano said his bill aims to ensure that students in Pennsylvania grow up understanding the laws, rights, and freedoms that define Americans, claiming that the bill is about “preserving the very principles that make America great.”
