Virginia County Reauthorizes 10 Commandments In Schools
The Giles County, Virginia school board has been struggling for months over whether and how copies of the Ten Commandments should be displayed in its schools. As previously reported, for ten years copies of the Ten Commandments had been displayed next to a copy of the Constitution. Last December they were removed after a complaint from the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF). By January they were back up after community members complained about their removal. But in February they were again removed. And again this was met with student and community protests. Now the Roanoke Times reports that last Tuesday, by a split vote, the school board again voted to restore the Ten Commandments to the schools, but this time with an elaborate resolution (full text) drafted with the advice of the Christian advocacy group, Liberty Counsel. The Ten Commandments are now to be included as part of a display of nine specified historical documents. The posting of this display in any school can be financed by private parties, and a procedure is set out for others who want to finance the posting of additional historical documents. The FFRF and ACLU say they will file suit.
Here is the text of the resolution referred to above:
Text of Giles County Ten Commandments resolution
Today we received the final version of the resolution Giles County school board passed Tuesday, courtesy district administration.
The full text includes details on how the displays should be rehung, what they’ll contain and why they’ll hang:
RESOLUTION OF GILES COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD FOR POSTING OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
It is recognized by the Board that many documents and symbols, taken as a whole, have special historical significance to our community, our county, and our country’s history. Some of these documents and symbols include, but are not limited to, the idea of equal justice under law as symbolized by Lady Justice; the Star-Spangled Banner; the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, the Magna Carta and the Ten Commandments.
A sense of historical context, civic duty and responsibility, and a general appreciation and understanding of the law of this land are all desirable components of the education of the youth of the county. We believe these above named documents positively contribute to the educational foundations and moral character of students in our schools. There may be other documents, speeches, letters, and writings which are equally important as those mentioned above, but, it is our opinion, that these above mentioned documents that may instill qualities desirable of the students in our schools, have had particular historical significance in the development of this country.
For all of these reasons, BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS:
1. The Giles County School Board will allow the posting of the above named documents together, in a display in any school in the district as set forth herein. This historical document display shall include initially a picture of Lady Justice, the Star-Spangled Banner; the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, the Magna Carta and the Ten Commandments. The document display shall also include a brief explanatory document, suitably framed. These historical displays shall be financed by funds of private organizations, and no school funds shall be used for this purpose. No service of school personnel of the school district shall be utilized during any time such employee is employed by the school district and no school employee shall be required to assist in placing the above mentioned documents in any school. However, this Board does not prohibit any school employee from volunteering their time to assist in this project should any individual employee desire to do so.
2. The display of these historical documents shall be uniform in size and content. No document shall be larger or given any prominence over any other document in the display. A copy of this resolution shall be included with the display with the historical documents.
3. Any individual, private group, or organization who wishes to finance the posting of the above listed historical documents may be allowed to do so by making a written request to the Superintendent of the Giles County Schools. The written request shall include the name of the person, individual, or group that wishes to sponsor the historical display at the particular school or schools, and shall contain the name of the school where the documents are requested to be displayed, and shall contain a statement that the person or group agrees to the terms and conditions of this resolution and shall be signed by the person or representative of the sponsor.
4. Any person, group, or organization that wishes to post any other historical documents at any schools, shall notify the Superintendent of the Giles County Schools in the same manner as is outlined herein above. Each request must be made in writing and signed by the person, individual, or group that wishes to place any historical document in the school. They shall attach a copy of the document or documents the person wishes to place in each school and shall cite the particular historical significance and importance of said documents. The Superintendent shall present the petition to the Giles County School Board. If the Giles County Board approves the same, a copy of each such historical document shall be added to the historical document display at the schools, at the expense of the person or organization requesting the additional historical document display. The additional historical documents shall be displayed in the same uniform size and content as other historical documents on display, and shall not be given greater or less prominence that any other historical document on display. If the Giles County Board refuses the request of any person or group to post additional historical documents, the Board shall state in writing the reasons for refusing the request.
5. Upon compliance with the above, the Superintendent of the Giles County Schools shall notify the principal of each school for which a display is planned. The principal shall determine where, in that school, the historical documents may be posted. The principal shall notify the Superintendent that they are posted in the manner consistent with this resolution. Keeping with our understanding of Virginia and Federal law, persons shall not be compensated by any school funds for their time or expense while serving in this capacity.
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