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Blount County board adopts Ten Commandments display policy after removing disciplinary enforcement line
Summary
After extended public comment and a member's amendment, the Blount County Board of Education passed a resolution and adopted a policy to permit Ten Commandments displays in schools, removing a proposed enforcement sentence and approving minimal display specifications.
The Blount County Board of Education voted to approve a resolution and adopt a policy permitting the display of a specified version of the Ten Commandments in district schools after amending the resolution to remove a proposed disciplinary enforcement sentence. Chair (speaker 1) framed the resolution as a record of the board's intent and said the documents were reviewed by the board's attorney and outside counsel. "The resolution simply is saying as a board, this is our thought process in this and this is why we are pursuing it to go forward," the chair said during discussion.
Board member Erica (speaker 2) moved an amendment to omit the final "be it further resolved" sentence that would have directed discipline for schools that did not display the text; the amendment passed on a roll-call vote. Erica told colleagues she would feel more comfortable approving the resolution without that clause: "If we could amend this motion by just omitting the last line, be it further resolved, to get that out of there, I would feel much more better," she said. The board recorded the amendment and then passed the amended resolution. The subsequent motions to waive the second reading and to adopt the accompanying policy also passed by roll-call votes.
During debate, members discussed legal review: the board attorney and 1st Liberty Institute provided draft language and advised a narrow design and wording to reduce legal exposure. The board approved display specifications discussed in the packet: a minimum size of 16 by 20 inches and at least 26-point font, with placement in conspicuous locations such as front foyers or cafeterias. "The minimum size is what we're recommending, and that's 16 by 20. It has to be that and at least 26 font," the chair said. Board members also considered whether to add explanatory text under displays; counsel advised that additional wording could expand legal vulnerability, and the board elected the more limited design recommended by legal counsel.
The vote culminated an extended public-comment period in which speakers offered sharply divided views on whether such displays belong in public schools. The board said the policy aligns with recent state law permitting local districts to allow a specified version of the Ten Commandments but emphasized that the board had edited the language to remove an explicit disciplinary enforcement clause.
