play_arrow
The Dam Rock Station Playing Anything that Rocks!!
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – A Republican Senator wants to require every classroom in South Dakota to display the Ten Commandments.
Sen. John Carley’s bill passed with a 4-3 vote in a Senate Education hearing Thursday morning.
Carley told KELOLAND News that he wrote the bill to “restore the document that’s been involved in the historical and traditional use in America for hundreds of years.”
Corn Palace could be getting a major change
“It’s time to bring it back and bring it out in the public square more,” he said.
Senate Bill 51 would require every classroom in the state to display the document on a poster no smaller than eight by 14 inches. The Ten Commandments must be the focus of the poster and in large, easily readable font.
Carley asserts that America was founded on Judeo-Christian values and the Ten Commandments are a part of the nation’s history and should be displayed alongside other documents like the Constitution and Magna Carta.
“This document in particular has been used for so many different situations, whether it’s the formation of our law, whether it’s things that are within our statute of stealing or lying or murder,” he said.
Senate Education Committee Jan. 23 vote on SB 51.
Democratic Sen. Jamie Smith, one of the three who voted against the bill, is concerned about the potential legal battle a bill like this could bring for the state.
“We have a tight budget this year and we’re gonna try to make decisions that will have to be defended in court,” Smith questioned.
In June, Louisiana lawmakers passed a similar bill, however the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit claiming the law violated students’ First Amendment rights. The case went through multiple appeals, but in November, a federal judge ruled the law unconstitutional for five parishes involved in the lawsuit.
Louisiana’s attorney general filed an appeal and additional arguments were heard as recently as Jan. 23 from a 5th Circuit Court judge. The law remains largely intact for now and 67 Louisiana schools are required to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, along with 17 other state attorneys general, filed an amicus brief and expressed support for the Louisiana law.
Smith also noted his concerns for minorities and people of other religions if the bill were passed.
“I can only imagine if you have a faith that’s not the same as others, or none at all, the questions that may arise,” Smith said.
“The fact that the Ten Commandments have significant value in people’s lives is a good thing, I just don’t think we should mandate that to be placed in every classroom in the state of South Dakota,” Smith added.
When asked about the concern for a religious document with statements like “thou salt have no other gods before me” in classrooms with students and teachers of varying faiths, Carley defended its use. He pointed to the Ten Commandments written on walls of the U.S. Supreme Court building and “In God We Trust” written on money as examples of religion present in public, government-funded spaces.
“I don’t think it’s forcing religion on anyone,” Carley said in response. “Instead, it’s recognizing that in the foundation of America, we did trust in God.”
New lawmakers have questions about men’s prison
Sen. Kyle Shoenfish, a Republican and Senate Education Committee chair, also voted against the bill. He pointed to the lengthy mandates the bill would place on South Dakota schools, including a second document to be displayed alongside the decalogue explaining how the Ten Commandments used to be in school textbooks and new curriculum requirements.
“Senate Bill 51 provides no funding for the costly and time consuming regulations that schools would have to comply with,” Schoenfish said in an emailed statement to KELOLAND News.
A fiscal note added to the bill said the cost for each school district would vary, ranging from $.03 to $4, depending on the material used and district’s current policies. However, Carley said multiple organizations have offered to donate the funds needed to print the document for all of the classrooms.
Rapid City, South Dakota’s only commercial free unedited internet rock radio station; playing a little older rock and mainly newer rock. A fully licensed stream.
This station is part of the Deep Dive Radio Network.
If you like The Dam Rock Station, please consider making a donation. Your donation goes towards keeping the station commercial free, and helps with operating costs.
