The governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, signed a law in June 2024 to take effect in 2025 that required Louisiana public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
We must reverse this concerning trend towards the increasing entanglement of religion with public schooling because it threatens the principles the United States was founded on. The U.S. was founded on the principles of freedom of speech and religion, as explicitly stated in the Constitution’s First Amendment, and this needs to be upheld and reflected in our education system.
Maintaining the Separation of Church and State, a doctrine upheld in numerous court cases, such as Engel v. Vitale (1962) and Edwards v. Aguillard (1987), is imperative for several reasons.
First, the U.S. was founded on the idea of freedom of speech, and pushing religion in schools infringes on this. The religion being incorporated is nearly always some form of Christianity, and this being forced on students through things like posters of the Ten Commandments or being compelled to pray before classes or certain sports events is inherently exclusive of other religions.
The U.S. is a multicultural society and values its diversity, celebrating not just one but five main religions, according to the Pew Research Center, and nearly 22% of citizens don’t identify with any religion.
School should be a place where students can learn about other cultures, and those of many different identities and religious backgrounds can feel accepted and that their beliefs are valued and upheld. A study by psychologist Lorraine Maxwell shows that students perform better in environments where they feel comfortable and respected. This is crucial to student success, but it becomes impossible when one religion is forced on students instead of allowing them to learn about many objectively.
Finally, adequate health education is a standard in all public schools across the U.S. Comparatively, health education curriculums in religious schools vary widely, especially relating to traditionally “taboo” topics like sex or even menstruation. It is often not discussed thoroughly or accurately enough in religious schools, and girls are taught not to talk about these things despite them being normal.
This creates feelings of shame instead of allowing people to speak openly. It is critical for students, especially young girls, to understand their bodies and their options to promote healthy discussion and informed decision-making.
And with the trend to more incorporation of religion in public schools, this could mean less thorough curriculums that negatively impact their abilities to make safe, educated decisions.
Overall, the U.S. values diversity and freedom of expression, and forcing certain beliefs at the expense of others threatens these ideals.
