BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern Superintendent of Schools board will deliberate on the proposal to display the Ten Commandments in six public schools, considering community opinions and potential legal challenges.
- The Board discusses the proposal of posting the Ten Commandments in public schools.
- The discussion involves six public schools under the superintendent's jurisdiction.
- Potential legal and ethical implications of posting religious texts in public schools to be reviewed.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
As the controversial issue of the Ten Commandments being posted in Kern County public schools continues, the Kern County School Board will now hear from the American Civil Liberties Union about why this proposal could violate the law.
On Tuesday evening, the Kern County Public School Board heard from the public once again regarding whether the Ten Commandments should be displayed in local schools. As before, opinions were mixed.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and a local professor spoke at the meeting, arguing that the proposal runs counter to the law. They stated that it would violate both the California Constitution and the U.S. Constitution.
Peter Eliasberg, Chief Counsel, at the ACLU in Southern California says, “It’s a document with separate, independent force from the U.S. Constitution. It has provisions that are different from the U.S. Constitution, and both the text of those provisions and court interpretations make it clear that if the board moves forward with this, they’re going to get themselves into a lot of hot water.”
The school board oversees four community schools and two learning centers.
A political analyst Ian Anderson with 23ABC tells me that it’s important to remember that if the board members agree to pass the Ten Commandments proposal, it will only affect the schools they oversee.
“There’s an actual education code that protects educator's free speech when it comes to the ability to conduct prayer, as long as it’s not part of the curriculum. I think distributing the Ten Commandments would fall under religious literature, which is protected speech that students can distribute.” Anderson said.
The board says they might bring up the Ten Commandments again for discussion, but whether or not the Kern County Public Schools will display the Ten Commandments is still undecided.
The school board has now heard from both sides of the issue. What we still don't know is when the board will decide to vote on whether or not to post the Ten Commandments in public schools.
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