This article has been updated since publication to include the district’s responses.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed lawsuits against Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD, and their respective school boards for refusing to comply with a new state law requiring donated copies of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in each public classroom.
“These rogue ISD officials and board members blatantly disregarded the will of Texas voters who expect the legal and moral heritage of our state to be displayed in accordance with the law,” said Paxton. “Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD chose to defy a clear statutory mandate, and this lawsuit makes clear that no district may ignore Texas law without consequence.”
The law, Senate Bill 10, mandates that all public school classrooms in Texas display donated Ten Commandments posters.
Though the law’s enforcement has been temporarily blocked for a handful of other districts due to ongoing federal litigation, Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD are unaffected.
Paxton previously brought similar legal action against Galveston ISD for refusing to post the mandated displays, further illustrating the state’s efforts to enforce Senate Bill 10 in districts not covered by the injunction.
He has pledged to defend districts that comply with the law and to pursue those that do not, while the constitutionality of the legislation remains in dispute. Critics argue the mandate runs afoul of First Amendment protections for religious freedom.
Litigation concerning the law is ongoing, with a federal appeals court set to review both the Texas and Louisiana Ten Commandments laws together in the coming months.
A Leander ISD spokesperson told Texas Scorecard the district “is confounded by the Texas Attorney General’s decision to sue the District over compliance with SB 10.” She emphasized that the lawsuit was filed “without prior inquiry to the District” and clarified that “Leander ISD has accepted donated posters and has actively implemented the law in accordance with state requirements.”
“At no point has Leander ISD taken action to defy or disregard the law,” asserted the spokesperson, who noted that, had the attorney general’s office asked, she could have shared a spreadsheet tracking “precisely the number of donated posters the District has received and where in the District the posters have been displayed in accordance with SB 10.”
“Despite this unnecessary distraction, today and always, Leander ISD and the Board of Trustees remain resolved in their efforts to provide high-quality experiences to each and every student while honoring both legal responsibilities and the mission to serve families with integrity,” she concluded.
A Round Rock ISD spokesperson said the district does not comment on pending litigation. The district’s general counsel previously told concerned citizens that the district will await legal guidance regarding the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments before posting the copies in classrooms.
