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Burgum signs bill to authorize posting of Ten Commandments in North Dakota schools

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N.D. — Gov. Doug Burgum signed legislation Friday, April 16, authorizing North Dakota public schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

The bill cleared the House and Senate by wide margins earlier this session after lawmakers included provisions to gird against possible lawsuits, including one portion requiring that displays of the Judeo-Christian text appear alongside other historical documents.

In a statement on the decision, Burgum said the bill “clarifies the existing authority” for schools to display culturally, historically and legally significant religious symbols in the context of other similar objects.

“School boards are already required to develop a policy for the proper display of any religious objects or documents,” Burgum said. “This law supports local control and gives school districts full control over whether to display any religious objects or documents.”

Proponents of the bill said displays of the Ten Commandments would help to remedy certain social ills, and its primary sponsor, Sen. Janne Myrdal, an Edinburg Republican, encouraged colleagues not to back away from the proposal out of concerns about legal challenges.

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