HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Two controversial companion bills requiring Alabama public schools to display the Ten Commandments are one step closer to being passed.
SB166 and HB178 have moved out of the Senate and House committees and are now in a position to receive a vote on each floor.
These bills would require each board of education to display a copy of the Ten Commandments in a common area of each school.
On Sunday, several community members in Huntsville said they support the bill.
“To me, the Ten Commandments, God itself displays love,” Tarana Hudson said. “If we could put love back into the schools to me that’s what the Ten Commandments does.”
Gerald Lane, another community member who said he supports the bill, believes the Ten Commandments could help with behavior.
“Anytime that you are taking God out then we are at a big disadvantage for our kids especially when we see what’s going on in today’s society,” Lane said. “The only way that we can get our kids back and save our kids is to teach them about God.”
Others said that Alabama lawmakers should see that God is engrained into our society and that the Ten Commandments should be no different.
“On the back of every single note that we have with our money, it says ‘In God we trust’ so how much do you really believe that?” Ashley Hayes said.
Despite some support for the bill, not everyone is fully on board with the legislation.
Ashanti Ortega lives in Huntsville and said she would be okay with the Ten Commandments in schools if other religious documents were also displayed.
“It could be maybe like Buddhism or Hinduism documents,” Ortega said. “Any kind of representation just so everyone at a school can feel like they can represent who they are and like they do belong to be there instead of this certain demographic of people.”
“I think that I can only support it to some degree, not 100% again it needs to be more inclusive to everyone,” Ortega said.
Under the proposed law, the Ten Commandments would have to be displayed on an 11X14 poster in large, easily readable font.
Some faith leaders also oppose the bills. Reverend Julie Conrady, president of the Interfaith Alliance of Central Alabama, said the bill violates the First Amendment. Rev. Conrady believes it would put teachers and school staff members in an awkward position.
“To put it on a poster specifically, as a religious scholar myself, they are putting up a poster without context, without explanation, without any understanding of why this is here,” Rev. Conrady said. “In doing so are putting teachers and administrators in the position of then explaining and interpreting a religious text for students.”
Louisiana passed similar legislation in 2024, but it has since been blocked by a federal judge. Rev. Conrady believes if Alabama passes these bills, it would end in a similar result.
“We will continue to push against it until we have a resolution that protects the religious freedoms of all Alabama families,” Rev. Conrady said.
The post Should the 10 Commandments be required in Alabama schools? Community members weigh in appeared first on WHNT.
