Prior to the start of Donald Trump’s second term in office, public schools across the country were strict on not allowing religion to melt into any curriculum or even be involved in the classroom. Now, according to one teacher on TikTok, the Ten Commandments from the Bible were posted outside of her classroom upon her return after summer break.
According to the US Constitution and the Department of Education, no public schools are allowed to promote or mandate prayers be spoken in the classroom. Students, faculty, and other staff members do not have to leave their beliefs outside of the school altogether, but they are not allowed to impose those beliefs on anyone else. The teacher on TikTok’s post of the Bible passage in her school says otherwise.
The Texas teacher may have to keep the Ten Commandments up in her classroom all year.
@dimplesndollaz It was fun while it lasted! Oh to be a Texas teacher 🥹😮💨🤠 FULL SENATE BILL 10 QUICK GUIDE— LINK IN B!0 😅 #SB10 #senatebill10 #thisisamerica #backtoschool #documentdocumentdocument #fy ♬ The Theme of Law & Order – Mike Post
In the teacher’s TikTok, she doesn’t say anything, but there is text on the screen that says, “Walking into my Texas classroom after a peaceful summer.” In the caption, she wrote, “It was fun while it lasted! Oh to be a Texas teacher.”
Although it might seem like she does not legally have to keep this laminated poster with the Ten Commandments on it, beginning with the 2025 school year, she has to.
According to Texas Senate Bill 10, which Governor Greg Abbott made official in June 2025 when he signed it into a law, beginning on September 1, 2025, every classroom in a public school in Texas must have the Ten Commandments hanging on the wall.
The Texas Tribune reported that the bill was passed. However, if a school district in Texas is sued over the new law, the state is responsible.
Other teachers commented on the Texas teacher’s post about seeing the Ten Commandments hung up outside of her classroom. One teacher wrote, I will not be complying. They can fire me. This is my hill to die on.”
Someone else commented that the teacher should add other religious principles on the wall, along with the Ten Commandments. “Add a poster with the Seven Tenets of the Satanic Temple and another with the Five Pillars of Islam,” the person wrote.
In a follow-up video, the teacher shared that there isn’t even any room on the walls of her classroom, given the educational materials she already has posted on all four walls.
Some people suggested she print out the Ten Commandments in a hard to read color or font, thereby following directions and adhering to the law on a technical level.
Others commented that she should hang up the list but hide it behind something or have a curtain that can hang over it when school officials aren’t in the classroom.
There is always the chance the law will change in Texas. In 2024, a similar law was passed in Louisiana, but it was reportedly appealed and changed after it initially passed. The same could happen for Texas, but going into the 2025-2026 school year, teachers had to be ready to fall in line.
