The Alabama Senate Education Policy Committee on Wednesday advanced a bill that would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments, reviving a measure that has failed to reach a floor vote in previous sessions.
SB99, sponsored by State Sen. Keith Kelley (R-Anniston), would require each local board of education to display the Ten Commandments and a historical context statement in each history classroom serving students in fifth through 12th grade, and in a common area of each school serving students in fifth grade or above.
The bill would not require schools to use their own funds for the displays. Instead, boards could accept donated displays or donated funds, and the State Department of Education would be required to identify and publicize free resources for compliance.
Kelley said the displays would also include excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Alabama Constitution’s preamble, along with a disclaimer that Alabama is not establishing a religion.
“It’s not a religious document. It’s a historical founding document that builds on how our culture, how our law, and how our nation was formed through a historical standpoint,” Kelley said during the committee meeting. “There’s a lot of misconceptions out there and our rule of law is basically built on the Ten Commandments. We’ve got a history that’s undeniable that comes from these basic facts.”
Kelley first introduced the measure during the 2025 session as SB166, with State Rep. Mark Gidley (R-Hokes Bluff) carrying the House companion, HB178. Both bills cleared their respective committees and the House passed its version, but the Senate never brought the bill to a floor vote before the session ended.
The 2026 version narrows the scope from the prior bill, which applied to all K-12 schools and initially included public colleges and universities. SB99 limits the mandate to fifth through 12th grade and targets history classrooms rather than all common areas.
SB99 now heads to the full Senate for approval.
Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may email him at [email protected].
