Senate Bill 34 would allow Ohio school boards to choose from a list of “founding documents” to display in classrooms — this includes the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Northwest Ordinance and, most contentiously, the Ten Commandments.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The State Senate has greenlit a bill that would allow public schools to display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, although there’s an attached nuance that has yet to be addressed properly.
to display in classrooms — this includes the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Northwest Ordinance and, most contentiously, the Ten Commandments. While critics argue that the inclusion of the holy directives creates civil disparities, supporters insist they influenced early moral thought in the country. Sen. Catherine Ingram has been a vocal critic of the bill ever since it was introduced in early 2025. In November, during the, she made one final attempt to have the Ten Commandments removed from the list by proposing an amendment. While making her case, the Democratic ranking member raised concerns about which version would be displayed in classrooms and pointed out that interpretations vary across the Judeo-Christian spectrum.“The commandments set forth in the Hebrew Bible, known to Christians as the Old Testament, are generally considered revered religious scripture for both Jews and Christians,” Doherty wrote. “Treating this sacred scripture as just another item up on the wall in the classroom of a secular school, as SB 34 would, demeans and trivializes a text that is holy to many and will inevitably exclude students of minority faiths.” She continued, “If school boards were to choose to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms or elsewhere, it would be impossible to select a version that is inclusive of all Jewish and Christian believers. Jews, Protestants and Catholics each have a version of the Ten Commandments that is distinct in form and meaning from the others, and this is before issues of differing translations and interpretive traditions are introduced.” Doherty also noted that even if school boards settled on an exclusively Jewish version of the Ten Commandments, displaying it in public school classrooms would still be a violation of the faith and its core principles. “We value the right to instill our Jewish beliefs and faith tradition in our children, without interference by the government,” she added.testified, “This document starkly stands out as the sole non-secular option provided by this legislature and is an imposition of religious beliefs that isolates non-Christian students and amounts to religious coercion.” Her statement cited several examples from Ohio and beyond of courts concluding that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms is a violation of the First Amendment.that would require all public school classrooms in the state to display the Ten Commandments. Although the bill had been passed by the State Legislature and signed by the governor in 2024, it was ultimately rejected in ajust a few months later that deemed it “unconstitutional on its face and in all applications” and “coercive to students”. Fueled by these concerns, Sen. Ingram told the Education Committee, “We are doing that indoctrination that we cry so much about.” Chair Andrew Brenner was at odds with her amendment from the jump, alluding to John Adams’ affinity with the religious text as being imperative to the country’s core values. He also noted that the decision to display any of the founding documents remains at the discretion of local school boards, meaning they might choose not to display the Ten Commandments at all. The committee ultimately voted to table Sen. Ingram’s proposal, leaving the Ten Commandments on the list of founding documents.and passed onto the Ohio House of Representatives, where it is currently under consideration by the lower chamber’s Education Committee. Despite advancing past the Senate, the debate over the Ten Commandments is likely to continue as part of the broader conversation about the separation of church and state. In this recurring feature, cleveland.com offers readers an inside look at the debates, proposals and personalities that shape legislation in Ohio’s Statehouse committees. Some items may reflect committee hearings from recent months, as we review past sessions to surface noteworthy discussions and proposals.
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