Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 793 By: Jett
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to education; stating legislative
7 intent; requiring school district boards of education
8 and charter school governing boards to display the
8 Ten Commandments in each classroom by certain date;
9 requiring display to be certain minimum size;
9 requiring focus on certain text; providing text of
10 display; requiring display to include certain context
10 statement; allowing additional displays; directing
11 displays to be free of charge; directing the State
11 Department of Education to identify and publish
12 certain resources; providing for promulgation of
12 rules; requiring certain institutions of higher
13 education to display the Ten Commandments in each
13 classroom by certain date; requiring display to be
14 certain minimum size; requiring focus on certain
14 text; directing displays to be free of charge;
15 providing for promulgation of rules; providing for
15 noncodification; providing for codification;
16 providing an effective date; and declaring an
16 emergency.
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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20 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
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21 codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
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22 The Legislature finds and declares the following:
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Req. No. 2 Page 1
1 1. In 2005, the United States Supreme Court recognized that it
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2 is permissible to display the Ten Commandments on government
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3 property in Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677, 688 (2005);
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4 2. Section 2101 of Title 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes authorizes
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5 the display of the Ten Commandments in the public buildings or
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6 grounds of every county, municipality, city, town, school, or any
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7 other political subdivision;
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8 3. In 2019, the United States Supreme Court further recognized
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9 that the Ten Commandments "have historical significance as one of
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10 the foundations of our legal system..." in American Legion v. American
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11 Humanists Association, 588 U.S. 29, 53 (2019), and the Court also
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12 ruled that the displaying of the Ten Commandments on public property
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13 may have "multiple purposes" such as "historical significance" and
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14 represent a "common cultural heritage." id,588 U.S. at 54;
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15 4. Recognizing the historical role of the Ten Commandments
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16 accords with the history of the United States and faithfully
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17 reflects the understanding of the nation's founders with respect to
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18 the necessity of civic morality to a functional self-government.
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19 History records that James Madison, the fourth president of the
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20 United States, stated that "(w)e have staked the whole future of our
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21 new nation...upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern
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22 according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments";
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Req. No. 2 Page 2
1 5. Including the Ten Commandments in the education of the
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2 children of this state is part of the history, culture, and
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3 tradition of this state and the United States;
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4 6. The text of the Ten Commandments set forth in paragraph 2 of
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5 subsection A of Section 2 of this act is identical to the text of
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6 the Ten Commandments monument that was upheld by the United States
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7 Supreme Court in Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677,688 (2005);
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8 7. The Mayflower Compact of 1620 was America's first written
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9 constitution and made a covenant with God to "form a civil body
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10 politic." This was the first purely American document of self-
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11 government and affirmed the link between civil society and God;
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12 8. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 provided a method of
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13 admitting new states to the Union from the territory as the country
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14 expanded to the Pacific Ocean. The Ordinance "extended the
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15 fundamental principles of civil and religious liberty" to the
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16 territories and stated that "(r)eligion, morality, and knowledge,
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17 being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind,
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18 schools, and the means of education shall forever be encouraged";
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19 9. It is the intent of the Legislature to apply the decision
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20 set forth by the United States Supreme Court in Van Orden v. Perry,
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21 id, to continue the rich tradition and ensure that students in
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22 public schools in this state may understand and appreciate the
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23 foundational documents of the government of this state and the
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24 United States;
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Req. No. 2 Page 3
1 10. The United States Supreme Court acknowledged that the Ten
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2 Commandments may be displayed on local government property when a
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3 private donation is made for the purchase of the historical
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4 monument, Pleasant Grove City, Utah v. Summum, 555 U.S. 460 (2009);
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5 and
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6 11. It is the intent of the Legislature that the provisions of
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7 this section shall not create an unfunded mandate on any school
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8 district board of education or charter school governing board. The
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9 boards of education and governing boards are encouraged to use
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10 documents that are printed and made available to schools free of
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11 charge.
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12 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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13 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 24-106.2 of Title 70, unless
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14 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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15 A. 1. No later than January 1, 2026, each school district
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16 board of education and charter school governing board shall display
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17 the Ten Commandments in each classroom in each school under its
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18 jurisdiction. The nature of the display shall be determined by each
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19 board of education or governing board with a minimum requirement
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20 that the Ten Commandments shall be displayed on a poster or framed
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21 document that is at least eleven (11) inches by fourteen (14)
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22 inches. The text of the Ten Commandments shall be the central focus
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23 of the poster or framed document and shall be printed in a large,
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24 easily readable font.
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Req. No. 2 Page 4
1 2. The text shall read as follows:
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2 "The Ten Commandments
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3 I AM the Lord thy God.
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4 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
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5 Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven images.
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6 Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
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7 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
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8 Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the
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9 land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
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10 Thou shalt not kill.
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11 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
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12 Thou shalt not steal.
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13 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
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14 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.
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15 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor
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16 his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy
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17 neighbor's."
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18 3. The Ten Commandments shall be displayed with a context
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19 statement as follows:
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20 "The History of the Ten Commandments in American Public Education:
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21 The Ten Commandments were a prominent part of American public
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22 education for almost three centuries. Around the year 1688, The New
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23 England Primer became the first published American textbook and was
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24 the equivalent of a first grade reader. The New England Primer was
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Req. No. 2 Page 5
1 used in public schools throughout the United States for more than
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2 one hundred fifty years to teach Americans to read and contained
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3 more than forty questions about the Ten Commandments.
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4 The Ten Commandments were also included in public school textbooks
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5 published by educator William McGuffey, a noted university president
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6 and professor. A version of his famous McGuffey Readers was written
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7 in the early 1800s and became one of the most popular textbooks in
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8 the history of American education, selling more than one hundred
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9 million copies. Copies of the McGuffey Readers are still available
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10 today.
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11 The Ten Commandments also appeared in textbooks published by Noah
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12 Webster and which were widely used in American public schools along
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13 with America's first comprehensive dictionary that Webster also
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14 published. His textbook, The American Spelling Book, contained the
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15 Ten Commandments and sold more than one hundred million copies for
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16 use by public school children all across the nation and was still
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17 available for use in American public schools in the year 1975."
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18 4. A public school district or charter school in this state may
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19 also display the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence,
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20 as provided for in Section 24-106.1 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma
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21 Statutes, and the Northwest Ordinance with the Ten Commandments.
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22 5. The provisions of this section shall not require a school
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23 district board of education or charter school governing body to
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Req. No. 2 Page 6
1 spend its funds to purchase displays. To provide the displays free
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2 of charge, the board of education or governing body shall:
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3 a. accept donated funds to purchase the displays, or
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4 b. accept donated displays.
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5 6. The State Department of Education shall identify and publish
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6 on its website appropriate resources to comply with the provisions
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7 of this section that are free of charge.
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8 B. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules to
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9 oversee implementation of the provisions of this act.
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10 SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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11 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3205.15 of Title 70, unless
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12 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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13 A. 1. No later than January 1, 2026, the governing board of
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14 each institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher
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15 Education shall require each institution under its jurisdiction to
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16 display the Ten Commandments in each classroom on the institution's
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17 campus. At a minimum, the Ten Commandments shall be displayed on a
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18 poster or framed document that is at least eleven (11) inches by
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19 fourteen (14) inches. The text of the Ten Commandments shall be the
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20 central focus of the poster or framed document and shall be printed
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21 in a large, easily readable font.
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22 2. The text of the Ten Commandments shall be identical to the
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23 language set forth in paragraph 2 of subsection A of Section 2 of
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24 this act.
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Req. No. 2 Page 7
1 3. The provisions of this section shall not require the
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2 governing board of an institution of higher education within The
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3 Oklahoma State System of Higher Education to spend its funds to
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4 purchase such displays. The governing board of an institution may
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5 spend donated funds to purchase the Ten Commandments or may accept
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6 donated displays.
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7 B. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall
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8 promulgate rules to oversee implementation of the provisions of this
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9 act.
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10 SECTION 4. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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11 SECTION 5. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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12 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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13 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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14 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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16 60-1-2 EB 1/19/2025 5:43:26 AM
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Req. No. 2 Page 8Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.