On two separate occasions, public school officials in Virginia's Giles County have taken steps to remove Ten Commandment displays following concern about the constitutionality of the posting. After the initial removal, public outcry prompted the school board to replace them, only to reverse course – sensibly – once a lawsuit was threatened. Now, it would seem, they are at it again, with a vote upcoming that would place the Ten Commandments alongside secular historical documents.
“The Ten Commandments were clearly placed in Giles County public schools to promote religion, and that violates the First Amendment of the Constitution,” said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis. “School board members can’t now camouflage their religious purpose by hiding the Ten Commandments among other documents.”
In a letter to the school board, Virginia's ACLU asks that religious education be left to homes and houses of worship and not public schools.
