Multiple Tennessee School Districts Move Ahead with Display of 10 Commandments
Tennessee Today

Five Tennessee school districts are moving ahead with displaying the 10 Commandments, as well as the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States, in their schools.

In May, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law allowing schools to display the 10 Commandments, along with the aforementioned American founding documents. Local boards of education and public charter school governing bodies may mandate their schools to display these texts in a “prominent location in each school building to educate students on the significance of the Ten Commandments to the principles and ideals of the United States of America, as established in its founding documents,” according to the bill summary. This law went into effect on July 1, 2026. 

Since the law went into effect, Blount, Rutherford, Washington, White, and Wilson Counties have all moved ahead with their installations. Each district can determine many of the specifics of their display, within broad guidelines from the state, and is encouraged to receive donations from outside organizations and individuals to fund the project.

In opposition to these school districts moving forward with their displays, the ACLU has argued that they violate religious freedom and has requested all public records relating to these districts’ announcement that they will move forward with displaying these documents in schools.

Advocates for this measure have emphasized that the display is meant to instill historical knowledge on the values that grounded America’s founding, rather than establishing religion in schools.