Conroe ISD grapples with state mandate as parents and students clash over 10 Commandments posters

Conroe Independent School District trustees heard more than two hours of public comment Tuesday as parents, students and community members split over the district’s decision to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms following recent state legislation.

The dispute centers on two recent Texas laws. Senate Bill 10 requires the posting of the Ten Commandments “in a conspicuous place” in public school classrooms; supporters say the posters reinforce character and local tradition. Senate Bill 12, and related parental-rights language in the Family Code, gives parents new opt‑in and grievance rights for religious or sensitive instructional material.

At the meeting Superintendent Andrew Landry told the board that the district had followed state guidance. “I can say, that in compliance with state law and, based on the guidance from the attorney general, the school district has hung the 10 Commandments posters. They are in accordance with, the details of that law and are in compliance full compliance with the law at this time,” Landry said.

Many speakers opposed the posters and said they were creating a hostile environment for students who are not Christian. “Posting the 10 commandments in classrooms is plainly religious in nature,” said Virginia Arends, a parent and former CISD teacher. Catherine Rodriguez, a parent of a CISD fifth grader, said the posters already prompted classmates to single out children from non‑Abrahamic households: “It’s going to increase that division in my child's classroom,” she said.

Student speakers and others said the district’s social-media posts and the manner of implementation had silenced young people. Conroe High sophomore Bella Mathis told trustees students were “being denied” and said comments about drugs and gun violence on a district Instagram post had been deleted; she urged trustees to listen to students’ concerns.

Supporters of the posters also spoke. Rebecca Smith, who identified herself as someone who works with children in the district, described the Ten Commandments as part of local tradition and moral instruction. “The 10 Commandments serve as timeless guidance,” she said.

Others cited legal precedent and constitutional concerns. Community member Joshua Swartz argued the display conflicts with federal precedent and with parents’ right to direct moral education, invoking Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39 (1980): “The bottom line is it doesn't matter what Ken Paxton sent you. He's not a member of this elected board. You are,” Swartz told trustees.

Trustees did not take a board vote on removing or adding posters at the meeting. Several speakers asked the board to clarify the district’s grievance process under SB 12 and to define exactly how opt‑outs will work in classrooms and in curricular materials that may include religious references. Board President Odenweiler and staff indicated they would work with legal counsel and district administrators on implementation details and procedures.

Why it matters: The issue puts the district at the intersection of two recently enacted state laws with competing requests from families and creates potential for litigation and internal grievances. Parents, teachers and legal observers told trustees they wanted clearer opt‑out procedures, transparency about how the posters were placed and an assurance that classroom instruction would not be used to promote a single faith.

The meeting’s public‑comment record included dozens of speakers for and against the posters and raised related concerns about the district’s new Bluebonnet curriculum and classroom materials. Trustees and district leaders responded that policy and procedural follow‑up — including the grievance policy required by SB 12 — would be priorities in coming weeks.

What’s next: Superintendent Landry and the district’s new general counsel told the board they will clarify procedures for parental complaints and opt‑outs and will continue to monitor legal guidance. Community members on both sides said they plan to return at future meetings to press their positions.