JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A new proposal calls for Missouri school districts and charter schools to prominently display the biblical Ten Commandments in classrooms and buildings.

Missouri State Rep. Hardy Billington (R-Poplar Bluff) has introduced House Bill 34, which would require schools to display the Ten Commandments but leaves some decisions about the presentation up to local school boards and governing boards.

The bill indicates that the Ten Commandments should be displayed as a "poster or framed document" of at least 11 inches by 14 inches with text printed in a "large, easily readable font."

If approved in Missouri’s upcoming legislative session, school boards would be required to ensure displays are in place by Jan. 1, 2026. School boards would also be allowed to use public funds or private donations to purchase the displays.

The proposal appears to be part of a broader national push from Republican lawmakers to integrate religious teachings and Christian values into education.

The state of Louisiana recently became the first U.S. state to require all state-funded schools to display the Ten Commandments earlier this year, while legislation has surfaced in at least a dozen states, according to USA Today. As of this year, Oklahoma also requires public schools to teach the Bible in their educational curriculums.

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that academic lessons about the Bible, when presented in an academic or historical context, are permissible in public schools because they are viewed as secular education rather than religious instruction.

However, the Supreme Court has also ruled that devotional activities, like reading the Bible or engaging in activities that promote religious beliefs, are unconstitutional because they violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

If a state law emerges in contradiction of such Supreme Court rulings, it could be challenged in court and struck down if found to infringe upon constitutional principles, like the separation of church and state.

That said, some advocates of Biblical teachings of the Ten Commandments in schools may argue that they reflect foundational American values as opposed to promoting a specific religious practice.

According to a 2021 report from the Survey Center on American Life, around 83% of Americans are comfortable with high school students learning about world religions, while 76% are comfortable with the idea of students taking an optional class on the Bible in public high schools. Only 56% of Americans were comfortable with daily prayer being spoken in public school classrooms, per the report.

House Bill 34 has been preemptively filed for the state’s 103rd General Assembly for the 2025 legislative session, which is set to begin January 8.