Separation of Church and State

I disagree with this bill because allowing teachers to carry firearms in schools, filled with children and other educators, could go wrong in many different ways. What if a teacher that is eligible to carry a firearm in school has a bad “break through” due to a situation outside of school and is now putting students and other educators in danger? What if a student somehow gains possession of the firearm? These are things that we need to think about before saying that it’s a good idea.

What for? Most of you in Charleston don’t know about it….or just choose not to follow it.

Is it possible to focus efforts for education on things that will actually help students? The Supreme Court of the United States has already ruled via Stone v. Graham (1980) that it is unconstitutional, a direct violation of the First Amendment to post the 10 Commandments or any other religious texts in public schools. All this will lead to is lawsuits that eat away state funds and time in court. It's already been struck down in states that have tried to do this in the courts as recently as 2025. We the people are tired of seeing the same bills that violate our constitutional rights be introduced session after session. Unless you are going to also post religious texts of the 4,000 other recognized religions in this world, which would still violate the religious rights of those who are agnostic or atheist because you can't have freedom of religion without freedom from religion, then you have no constitutional right or authority to post the 10 Commandments in public schools. Would it make you comfortable if schools posted texts for the Quran? Pagan or Wiccan texts? Beliefs of L Ron Hubbard for Scientology?

I am writing to express my strong opposition and deep concern regarding the proposed legislation that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public schools. While I respect the religious and historical significance that these texts hold for many people, this bill represents a clear violation of the separation of church and state and an erosion of religious freedom, principles that are foundational to our democracy.

Public schools are not places of worship; they are spaces for learning, inclusion, and respect for students of all faiths and of no faith at all. Mandating a religious display endorsed by the state sends a chilling message to students and families whose beliefs differ. It risks alienating non-Christian students, undermining their sense of belonging and safety in schools that are meant to serve everyone equally.

This bill is not about history or morality, it is about government endorsement of a specific religious doctrine, which has been repeatedly ruled unconstitutional by federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Passing such a measure would invite costly legal challenges, divert public funds from classrooms, and sow division among communities.

If the goal is to promote character, ethics, and respect, there are inclusive ways to do so without elevating one faith tradition above others. We can teach civic values, empathy, and critical thinking through shared democratic principles, not religious mandates.

I urge lawmakers to reject this bill in defense of religious liberty, constitutional integrity, and the inclusive spirit of public education. Our students deserve schools that unite rather than divide, and legislation like this moves us dangerously in the opposite direction.

I am writing to express my strong opposition and deep concern regarding the proposed legislation that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public schools. While I respect the religious and historical significance that these texts hold for many people, this bill represents a clear violation of the separation of church and state and an erosion of religious freedom, principles that are foundational to our democracy.

Public schools are not places of worship; they are spaces for learning, inclusion, and respect for students of all faiths and of no faith at all. Mandating a religious display endorsed by the state sends a chilling message to students and families whose beliefs differ. It risks alienating non-Christian students, undermining their sense of belonging and safety in schools that are meant to serve everyone equally.

This bill is not about history or morality, it is about government endorsement of a specific religious doctrine, which has been repeatedly ruled unconstitutional by federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Passing such a measure would invite costly legal challenges, divert public funds from classrooms, and sow division among communities.

If the goal is to promote character, ethics, and respect, there are inclusive ways to do so without elevating one faith tradition above others. We can teach civic values, empathy, and critical thinking through shared democratic principles, not religious mandates.

I urge lawmakers to reject this bill in defense of religious liberty, constitutional integrity, and the inclusive spirit of public education. Our students deserve schools that unite rather than divide, and legislation like this moves us dangerously in the opposite direction.

Delegate Mallow,

Once again, the Legislature is being asked to spend its time and the public’s money advancing legislation that directly conflicts with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

HB 4034 requires public schools to display a specific religious text—the Ten Commandments—in every classroom, in a prescribed size, format, and wording. This is not student religious liberty. This is government-mandated religious expression in a compulsory public setting. The distinction matters, and it has been settled law for decades.

Courts have already ruled on this issue. Repeatedly. Mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms constitutes government endorsement of religion, regardless of whether the materials are privately donated or publicly funded. Reintroducing this bill does not make it more constitutional; it only makes it more predictable that taxpayers will be left footing the bill for inevitable litigation.

As someone who works daily in public education, I find it deeply frustrating that this proposal is introduced while our schools face real, urgent challenges:
• Students struggling with basic literacy and numeracy
• Staffing shortages and burnout
• Underfunded special education and mental health supports
• Attendance and behavioral crises that materially impact learning

Schools do not need symbolic wall displays. They need resources, support, and evidence-based policy.

This bill also creates practical problems for districts: it is an unfunded mandate, it places administrators and teachers in the middle of a culture war they did not ask for, and it exposes school systems to legal risk for no educational benefit whatsoever.

Public schools serve students of many faiths and no faith at all. The Constitution protects everyone’s right to believe, not the government’s right to instruct.

I urge you to reconsider the priorities reflected in HB 4034 and to respect the longstanding constitutional principle of separation of church and state. Our students deserve serious solutions to serious problems, not performative legislation that distracts from the real work of improving education in West Virginia.

Respectfully,
Mariah Richards

• The First Amendment bars the government from endorsing religion in public schools. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a nearly identical classroom mandate in Stone v. Graham (1980), holding that requiring the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms lacked a secular legislative purpose and violated the Establishment Clause.  
• The Court has also held that Ten Commandments displays are unconstitutional when the government’s purpose and context show a religious objective, as in McCreary County v. ACLU (2005).  
• Supporters sometimes cite Van Orden v. Perry (2005), but that case involved a long-standing outdoor monument on capitol grounds with a specific historical context—not a mandatory, universal classroom posting aimed at captive K-12 audiences.  

• Louisiana: A federal appeals court blocked Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom-display law as “plainly unconstitutional,” relying in part on Stone v. Graham.  
• Arkansas: A federal judge blocked enforcement of Arkansas’s law in several districts, finding it likely violates church-state separation principles.  
• Texas: A federal judge temporarily blocked Texas’s classroom-display law, and additional related injunctions/orders have required districts to remove postings while litigation continues.  

• HB 4034 requires universal classroom posting but does not create a clear statewide compliance/funding plan; it instead authorizes public spending to replace/buy displays.  
• The mandate increases the risk of diverting time and money from instruction and student services into compliance and legal defense.

I respectfully oppose House Bill 4034, which would mandate that every classroom in West Virginia’s public elementary and secondary schools display a framed copy of the Ten Commandments.

This bill raises serious constitutional concerns. Public schools serve students of diverse faiths and belief systems — including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Indigenous spiritual traditions, and those with no religious affiliation at all. A requirement to post a specific religious text in every classroom crosses the line between supporting students’ civic education and endorsing a particular religion or religious interpretation, which the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause prohibits in public institutions.

Mandating the Ten Commandments does not foster inclusive education. Instead, it elevates one religious tradition above others and risks making students who do not share that tradition feel excluded or unwelcome in their own schools. Public education should be a neutral space where all students feel equally respected and supported.

There are already appropriate venues for religious education: families, communities, and religious organizations can teach religious values in contexts where such instruction is voluntary and welcome. Public schools, funded by all taxpayers and responsible for the education of all children, should not be compelled to promote specific religious content.

Moreover, the state faces pressing and practical challenges in education — including teacher recruitment and retention, classroom resources, student mental health services, and academic achievement gaps — that are far more urgent than the placement of religious posters in classrooms. Lawmakers should focus their efforts on policies that support the academic success, wellbeing, and equal treatment of all West Virginia students.

For these reasons, I urge members of the West Virginia Legislature to reject HB 4034.