An eastern Oklahoma legislator has filed a bill that would require the Ten Commandments to be shown in all public school classrooms. The bill follows a string of failed attempts over the past 10 years to display the document on public property in the state.

If House Bill 2962, filed by state Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, becomes law, classrooms would have to display a copy of the Ten Commandments that measures at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall, starting with the 2024-25 academic year. The bill also provides an outline for specific text to be used for the display.

State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, who since taking office last year has pushed for the insertion of religion — particularly Christianity — into public schools, issued a statement in support of Olsen’s bill.

“The Ten Commandments is one of the foundations of our nation,” Olsen said. “Publicly and proudly displaying them in public school classrooms will serve as a reminder of the ethics of our state and country as students and teachers go about their day. It is my prayer that this display would inspire our young people during their formative years and encourage them to lead moral, principled lives.”

“Representative Olsen and I share the same belief that the Ten Commandments must and should be on display as a founding document of our country,” Walters said. “Our country is founded on Judeo-Christian values and we should place a priority on learning about this important historical precedent. The breakdown in classroom discipline over the past 40 years is in no small measure due to the elimination of the Ten Commandments as guideposts for student behavior. I will continue to fight against state-sponsored atheism that has caused society to go downhill.”

But others in state government counter that Olsen’s bill is unnecessary and potentially unconstitutional.

Past attempts failed over last decade

In 2016, Oklahoma voters — by more than 200,000 votes — rejected State Question 790, which would have removed Section 5, Article 2 of the Oklahoma Constitution, which states: “No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such.”

The state question was placed on the ballot by the state Legislature as a response to a 2015 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling. The court ordered a privately funded Ten Commandments monument to be removed from the grounds of the state Capitol, ending a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

That monument now sits on the grounds of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs — a conservative lobbying group — located a few blocks south of the Capitol.

“The citizens of Oklahoma have previously opposed the use of public funds or property for religious activities, as evidenced by their reject of State Question 790 in 2016,” said state Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City. “When controlling politicians weaponize their power to force their religious beliefs upon society, it violates the fundamental principle of religious freedom and violates the oath of office they swore to uphold.”

In 2017, House Bill 2177, which would have allowed the Ten Commandments — along with the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the U.S. and Oklahoma Constitutions — to be “displayed proudly and resolutely in public buildings and on public grounds” failed to earn a hearing in the state Senate.During its three years on the Capitol grounds, the Ten Commandments monument led to requests from others to build a monument there, including a Satanic group, a Hindu leader, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and South Dakota allow the Ten Commandments to be officially displayed.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma legislator files bill to require Ten Commandments in classrooms