Siloam Springs School District joins other districts in challenge to Ten Commandments posting law

Siloam Springs School District Superintendent Dr. McClung said the district has been named alongside three other northwest Arkansas districts in litigation over a new state law about posting the Ten Commandments.

"We were named one of four school districts in Northwest Arkansas in a lawsuit over a new law that's gone into place over the Ten Commandments," Dr. McClung said, and he told the board the districts attorney had "filed a brief and a motion to dismiss that case" and that the attorney generals office will assume the defense if permitted by the court.

The superintendent said the district has not posted the Ten Commandments across classrooms and that the legal filing challenges the statute itself rather than an action taken by the district. "This was a lawsuit brought about a law where you had to post the Ten Commandments if they were donated to the school," he said, adding, "we really hadn't we haven't done anything at all." The motion to dismiss asks the court to throw out the case; the board was told officials are waiting for the judges ruling.

Dr. McClung also told the board the district has filed paperwork so the Arkansas attorney generals office can take over the defense after the court resolves the threshold motion. He said the four districts are sharing an attorney and legal costs "so that we can share the cost in this." No court schedule or ruling was announced at the meeting.

The board did not take a formal vote on any new action related to the lawsuit during this meeting.

The update followed reports and other regular agenda items. The superintendent emphasized the district is challenging the law rather than defending a district posting action and said the district has not implemented the contested posting requirement.