The Texas Senate has passed a couple of bills that aim to put God back in the Lone Star state's schools. One bill requires all public schools in Texas to display the Ten Commandments. The second bill would require public schools to give students and staff a daily period of time to pray. That bill also permits teachers to read the Bible and other religious texts as part of the curriculum. Both bills were pushed by Senate Republicans and passed by identical 17 to 12 votes. The bills now advance to the Texas House of Representatives.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is strongly pushing the two proposals, saying that "allowing the Ten Commandments and prayer back into our public schools is one step we can take to make sure that all Texans have the right to freely express their sincerely held beliefs."
JDFI applauds the Texas Senate for passing the bills and strongly urges the Texas House to do the same. When school prayer and Bible reading were banned by the Supreme Court in 1962, American education began a 60-year decline that has put American education in crisis. Restoring Judeo/Christian values to the classroom will begin the long road back.