Caddo and Bossier Schools Handling Ten Commandments Law Differently

Governor Jeff Landry has sent a letter to state Education Superintendents urging them to display the Ten Commandments in all classrooms following the latest court ruling in this case.

How Will This Be Handled in Caddo and Bossier Schools?

Caddo and Bossier leaders are handling this request from the Governor a little differently. Bossier school officials are moving quickly to get the posters up in all classrooms and sent this statement to KEEL News:

Bossier Schools will act in accordance with state law and the directive issued by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry regarding the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. The district’s role is to follow the law, and we will do so accordingly. Bossier Schools  will remain neutral on this matter and will not take a position or offer further comment.

The posters will go up in all classrooms this spring in Bossier schools

But Caddo Superintendent Keith Burton says it won't happen until next school year.

We’re making plans to have the required displays in place for the start of next school year. With a district our size, we want to implement it in an organized and consistent way across all campuses. Given the instructional disruptions we’ve had this year, we also didn’t want to add something new to teachers’ and principals’ plates during the final stretch of the school year.

Burton also says implementing this new law over the summer will allow his staff to do efficiently without taking focus away from instruction. 

The law in question, H.B. 71, was passed in 2024. It was presented by Haughton Rep Dodie Horton. It mandates that a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in "large, easily readable font" be required in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.

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The Governor says "posters have been donated at no public expense and delivered to school district across Louisiana."

Landry's letter also said that schools should implement the law "without fear of litigation" and that the Attorney General, Liz Murrill, "stands ready" to defend schools that follow the law within her guidance.