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Public commenters press Kern County Board to vote on Ten Commandments display
Summary
Two public commenters urged the Kern County Board to place the Ten Commandments on school walls as a historical document and asked when trustees will vote; board members said they would revisit the issue if state law changes and noted differing legal contexts.
During public comment on March 10, two speakers asked the board to take a position and vote on displaying the Ten Commandments in schools as a historical document.
Will Winn (called by the clerk to speak) framed the issue as part of moral education, argued the phrase "separation of church and state" has been misunderstood, and urged the board to move toward a decision. Dr. Angelo Frasier later asked directly for timing: "When will the vote for the historical significance of the Ten Commandments take place? Whether are we waiting for the Supreme Court, we're waiting for that to play out, or there's some other event in the future that we're waiting for?" (Dr. Frasier).
Trustees responded that they were aware of activity in other states and court developments; multiple trustees said they would consider revisiting the item if state law changes but did not schedule a date for action during the March 10 meeting.
Context: the item came during public comment and was not on the board’s action calendar. Board members emphasized that changes in state law or court rulings could prompt reconsideration; no formal motion or vote was made on the topic during the meeting.
Other public comments during the same period covered unrelated matters, including an enrollment update from Joanna Kendrick of the Central Academy of Arts and Technology and community recognitions.
