State Superintendent praises legislation
Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, has filed legislation to require the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public school classrooms.
House Bill 2962, filed last Friday, would require each classroom to clearly display a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments, measuring at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall, beginning in the 2024-25 school year. The bill also outlines the specific text to be used for the display.
“The Ten Commandments is one of the foundations of our nation,” Olsen said. “Publicly and proudly displaying them in public school classrooms will serve as a reminder of the ethics of our state and country as students and teachers go about their day. It is my prayer that this display would inspire our young people during their formative years and encourage them to lead moral, principled lives.”
Olsen said the Ten Commandments was referenced by the Founding Fathers as a code of morality and was taught in public schools for hundreds of years. Early textbooks like the New England Primer, first published in 1687, and the Mc-Guffey Readers, first published in 1836, were widely used and included teachings of the Ten Commandments.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters has also issued a statement in support of legislation filed by Rep. Olsen that would require the display of the Ten Commandments in Oklahoma schools.
“Representative Olsen and I share the same belief that the Ten Commandments must and should be on display as a founding document of our country. Our country is founded on Judeo-Christian values and we should place a priority on learning about this important historical precedent,” Walters said.
“The breakdown in classroom discipline over the past 40 years is in no small measure due to the elimination of the Ten Commandments as guideposts for student behavior,” Walters continued. “I will continue to fight against state-sponsored atheism that has caused society to go downhill.”
HB2962 is available to be heard after the legislative session commences on Feb. 5.
