The Maury County Board of Education voted 9-2 on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to display the Ten Commandments in every district school. The decision covers all 24 campuses, including Spring Hill High School and Battle Creek Middle School.
The board approved Resolution 2026.01 despite a five-page memorandum from school board attorney Josh Hogan warning that the state law behind the displays does not shield the district from litigation, the Columbia Daily Herald first reported.
The resolution stems from Tennessee's Public Chapter 924, signed by Gov. Bill Lee and effective July 1. The law authorizes local school boards to display the Ten Commandments, a portion of the Declaration of Independence and the preamble to the U.S. Constitution in prominent locations inside school buildings. The law does not require districts to participate.
District 11 board member Kathy Mikula, who made the motion, described the displays as a historical literacy effort meant to familiarize students with documents she said the nation's founders considered essential to good governance.
Two board members voted no.
District 6 member Sue Stephenson said she supported the resolution's intent but could not move forward after reading Hogan's memorandum. "Whatever action the state Legislature has taken, it does not negate our liability," Stephenson said at the Oct. 13 meeting.
District 3 member Jamila Brown agreed with Stephenson's concerns, saying she worried about the district facing multiple lawsuits. Brown said she personally supported the idea but believed the board should hold off.
Hogan told the board he was not aware of any pending lawsuits in other Tennessee counties that had passed similar resolutions. He said each board must decide what it considers appropriate under the law and cautioned against basing the decision on hypothetical cases elsewhere.
Maury County joins at least five other Tennessee districts that have approved Ten Commandments displays under the new law. Blount County, Rutherford County, Washington County, White County and Wilson County each voted to proceed between July and August, according to WSMV.
Three civil rights organizations have filed public records requests with several of those districts. The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation said in a joint statement that they are investigating districts that approve the displays, according to NewsChannel 5.
Maury County Public Schools serves about 13,000 students across 24 schools, including several campuses in Spring Hill. The district has not announced a timeline for installing the displays.
