BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Even as a legal challenge is already underway over a new Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms, the details of how the mandate will be implemented and enforced remain murky.
Across the country there have been conservative pushes to incorporate religion into classrooms, from Florida legislation allowing school districts to have volunteer chaplains to counsel students to Oklahoma’s top education official ordering public schools to incorporate the Bible into lessons.
In Louisiana, the logistics for the new law are still unclear.
Unless a court halts the legislation, schools have just over five months until they will be required to have a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in all public school K-12 and state-funded university classrooms. But it's unclear whether the new law has any teeth to enforce the requirement and penalize those who refuse to comply.
Supporters of the law say donations will pay for the thousands of posters needed, while critics argue the law is an unfunded mandate that could burden schools. And teachers in some schools have said they likely won’t hang the posters, including in the blue city of New Orleans, where residents and officials have a history of resisting conservative policies.
Louisiana has more than 1,300 public schools. Louisiana State University has nearly 1,000 classrooms at the main Baton Rouge campus alone and seven other campuses statewide. That means thousands of posters will be needed to satisfy the new law.
The Louisiana Department of Education is required by the new law to identify and post on its website resources that can provide the posters free of charge.
Lawmakers backing the bill said during debate in May that the posters or funds to print them will likely be donated to schools in this deep Bible Belt state. Nationwide praise for the law from conservative groups and figures including, most recently, former President Donald Trump, could result in outside financial support for the mandate.
Louisiana Family Forum, a Christian conservative organization, has already created a page on its website for donations that “will be used specifically for the purpose of producing and distributing ‘10 Commandments’ displays to educational institutions around Louisiana.”
But the question of what happens if a school doesn't receive enough donations has lingered for months with little clarity.
“So schools have the ability to raise the funds or they (the posters) can be donated. But, what if you can’t raise the funds or find a donor?” state Sen. Royce Duplessis, a Democrat who voted against the law, asked during debate on the legislation last month.
“I don’t know what happens then,” replied state Sen. Adam Bass, a Republican who co-authored the law.
The Associated Press reached out to multiple co-authors of the bill, including Bass and the offices of Attorney General Liz Murrill, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley and the state's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, but did not receive answers to questions about funding.
Lawmakers supporting the bill were adamant during debate that the law is clear in saying donations would be used to obtain the posters. Others suggest the law’s language may still allow for the purchase of displays through public funds.
"Louisiana’s law does not appear to prohibit the use of public funds to pay for the Ten Commandments displays. Such use of taxpayer money would only exacerbate this egregious constitutional violation,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, who opposes the law.
The law says it “shall not require" a public school governing authority to spend its funds to purchase displays. Instead, “to fund the displays free of charge, the school public governing authority shall” either accept donated funds to purchase the displays or accept donated displays.
Even with sufficient donations, opponents say the state is still spending money and resources to defend a lawsuit over a requirement that they argue is unconstitutional.
But supporters say it is a battle they are willing to fight.
Louisiana’s 2020 teacher of the year, Chris Dier, said he doesn’t intend to post the Ten Commandments in his classroom.
“I don’t believe in doing something that is unconstitutional and harmful to students,” said Dier, who teaches at a New Orleans high school.
It's unclear whether failure to comply will result in punishment as the language in the law does not list any repercussions. While the law specifies that Louisiana's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopt “rules and regulations” to ensure the “proper implementation” of the mandate, enforcement could fall to parish school boards or local school districts.
A similar law passed last year mandates “In God We Trust” be displayed in classrooms. The enforcement and penalties for noncompliance with that law are determined by local education agencies, said Kevin Calbert a spokesperson for the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The AP emailed 55 members of parish school boards across the state, including rural and urban parishes in Republican-dominated and Democratic-leaning areas, to ask if they support the law and how they plan to enforce it. Two replied, saying they support the mandate.
Carlos Luis Zervigon, vice president of the Orleans Parish School Board, thought differently, describing it as “blatantly unconstitutional.”
“I've heard no talk or interest in considering enforcing this,” the former history teacher said. “What would be my instinct, is to do nothing, unless forced to do so.”
With schools out and many school boards meeting less frequently in the summer, Zervigon said his board hasn't yet talked about the requirement. However, if tasked with figuring out the implementation and enforcement of the mandate, he is likely to take a “wait-and-see attitude” until the court rules.
“I could see myself crafting a resolution that could say something to the effect of, ‘We will not enforce it until we get legal clarity of whether this is constitutional or not,’” he said.
However, if New Orleans takes the lead, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry “may exercise retribution,” Zervigon said.
Landry, a Republican, attempted to punish New Orleans in the past after city officials expressed opposition to enforcement of Louisiana's near-total abortion ban.
This story has been updated to correct that Jeff Landry is governor of Louisiana, not attorney general.
FILE - Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signs bills related to his education plan, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Lafayette, La. Civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit Monday, June 24, challenging Louisiana’s new law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom. (Brad Bowie/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP, File)
FILE - A copy of the Ten Commandments is posted along with other historical documents in a hallway of the Georgia Capitol, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Atlanta. Civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit Monday, June 24, challenging Louisiana’s new law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
How will Louisiana's new Ten Commandments classroom requirement be funded and enforced?
How will Louisiana's new Ten Commandments classroom requirement be funded and enforced?
The Nashville Predators made a huge splash when NHL free agency opened Monday by signing Stanley Cup champion forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault as part of a jaw-dropping series of moves topping $100 million that made Smashville the center of attention across hockey.
Stamkos left Tampa Bay after 16 seasons, two Cup titles and two additional trips to the final to sign a four, year $32 million contract with Nashville.
“By no means did I ever envision that a day like today would happen, but it did,” Stamkos said. "It was definitely a bitter pill to swallow when it really started to materialize that it wasn’t going to work in Tampa.”
Stamkos turned to the Predators, made his decision and got a call from Marchessault asking if he was signing with them too, worried it was one or the other. “He said, ‘No Stammer, I’m coming, too,’” Stamkos recalled.
Marchessault got $27.5 million for the next five seasons less than 13 months since earning playoff MVP honors in leading Vegas to its first championship. The two will have company: Defenseman Brady Skjei signed with Nashville for seven years and $49 million, and Scott Wedgewood came in at $3 million for two years to back up franchise goaltender Juuse Saros.
General manager Barry Trotz called it “a massive day for the future of our organization.” The Predators at $111.5 million became the first team to surpass $100 million committed to new players in free agency since the Florida Panthers five years ago started building toward the championship they won last week.
“It’s huge because it’s a statement, I think, for the rest of the league that these players will come to Nashville,” Trotz said. “These players see what we’re doing with our franchise. We have lots to offer, and we’re very determined to win. We’re committed to that.”
Marchessault was an original member of the expansion Golden Knights in 2017 and helped them reach the final twice and win the Stanley Cup last year. He is coming off scoring a career-high 42 goals and, like Stamkos, was one of his team's most recognizable faces.
Within the first three hours of free agency, teams had committed over $900 million in contracts, a result of the salary cap jumping to $88 million — the first big increase since before the pandemic.
“A lot of cash," Toronto GM Brad Treliving said. “There were some really good players available. You saw teams be aggressive, and lots of players changed teams.”
Jake Guentzel signed a $63 million, seven-year contract with Tampa Bay after they acquired his rights from Carolina over the weekend, opting to pay him big money at age 30 rather than Stamkos at 34.
“Things just didn’t work out in Carolina, and then I heard Tampa might be trading for my rights, so obviously I got really excited because everyone hears how good of a team and good of a spot this is,” said Guentzel, who will count $9 million against the cap through 2031. “The pedigree behind Tampa Bay, the winning culture — just a lot of high-end players that really make it intriguing to come to Tampa.”
— Fresh off helping Florida win the Stanley Cup, defenseman Brandon Montour signed a $50 million, seven-year contract with Seattle, and the Kraken added former Golden Knights center and ‘23 champion Chandler Stephenson for $43.75 million over the same length of time. The Panthers’ exodus included Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Anthony Stolarz to Toronto, Ryan Lomberg to Calgary and Kevin Stenlund to Utah.
— Vancouver signed former Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk for $38.5 million over seven years.
— Boston signed center Elias Lindholm to a seven-year contract worth $54.25 million and gave defenseman Nikita Zadorov $30 million for the next six seasons.
-- New Jersey continued to build a playoff-worthy roster, signing a pair of defensemen, Brett Pesce for six-years and $33 million and Brenden Dillon for three years and $12 million, and forward Stefan Noesen for three years and $8.25 million.
— San Jose signed forwards Tyler Toffoli for $24 million over four years and Alexander Wennberg for two years and $10 million.
— Toronto signed defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year contract worth $27 million after acquiring his rights from Dallas.
— The Stars kept Matt Duchene for another season for $3 million and also signed defensemen Ilya Lyubushkin and Matt Dumba, the latter for $7.5 million over two years.
— Los Angeles signed former Oilers winger Warren Foegele for $10.5 million over three years and gave rugged defenseman Joel Edmundson four years and $15.4 million.
— Columbus signed center Sean Monahan to a five-year contract for $27.5 million.
— Hours after a rainy rally celebrating their Stanley Cup title, the Panthers beat the midnight buzzer to re-sign Sam Reinhart to an eight-year contract worth $69 million, an annual cap hit of $8.625 million for a player coming off a 57-goal regular season.
— Jordan Martinook re-signed with the Hurricanes on a three-year deal worth $9.15 million.
— Edmonton, which lost to the Panthers in seven games in the Cup final, re-signed depth forwards Corey Perry and Connor Brown for next season. Perry, the only player in NHL history to reach the final with five different organizations, got $1.4 million including incentives, while Brown, who had a goal and an assist in the seven-game series against Florida, signed for $1 million. The Oilers replaced Foegele with Viktor Arvidsson, giving him $8 million over two years.
Chicago and Washington were among the busiest teams.
The Blackhawks signed forwards Tyler Bertuzzi (four years, $22 million), Teuvo Teravainen (three years, $16.2 million), Craig Smith (one year, $1 million), defenseman Alex Martinez (one year, $4 million) and goaltender Laurent Brossoit (two years, $6.6 million).
The Capitals, beyond trading for Jakob Chychrun, continued their roster overhaul by signing defenseman Matt Roy to a six-year contract worth $34.5 million and forwards Brandon Duhaime (two years, $3.7 million) and Taylor Raddysh (one year, $1 million).
AP freelance writers Jim Diamond and Denis Gorman contributed.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
FILE - Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei (76) skates with the puck during Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series against the New York Rangers, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. The Nashville Predators made a big splash in the opening minutes of NHL free agency by signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)
FILE - Vegas Golden Knights right wing Jonathan Marchessault (81) plays against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. The Nashville Predators made a big splash as NHL free agency opened Monday, July 1, 2024, by signing Stanley Cup champions Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault in a jaw-dropping series of moves topping $100 million that made Smashville the center of attention across hockey.(AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos (91) returns to the bench after scoring during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 6, 2024. The Nashville Predators made a big splash in the opening minutes of NHL free agency by signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
FILE - Vegas Golden Knights right wing Jonathan Marchessault (81) plays during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. The Nashville Predators made a big splash as NHL free agency opened Monday, July 1, by signing Stanley Cup champions Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault in a jaw-dropping series of moves topping $100 million that made Smashville the center of attention across hockey.(AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos reacts after his goal during the first period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, June 26, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. The Nashville Predators made a big splash in the opening minutes of NHL free agency by signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack, File)
FILE - Carolina Hurricanes' Teuvo Teravainen (86) skates with the puck against the New York Islanders during the second period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen have agreed to contracts with Chicago, providing a major offensive lift for the rebuilding Blackhawks on the first day of NHL free agency. Bertuzzi received a $22 million, four-year deal, and Teravainen’s agreement is worth $16.2 million over three seasons. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker, FIle)
Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart, left, aims the puck for a goal as Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) attempts to defend during the second period of Game 7 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
FILE - Vegas Golden Knights' Jonathan Marchessault controls the puck in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars in Dallas, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be committed to free agents, including a strong crop of forwards led by longtime Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos, three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane and 2023 playoff MVP Marchessault. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos moves the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings, March 23, 2024, in Los Angeles. Stamkos is still on course to become a free agent even after the Lightning cleared significant salary cap space with trades made at the NHL draft. General manager Julien BriseBois and agent Don Meehan independently confirmed their stances have not changed with respect to Stamkos signing a new contract with the club before free agency opens Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - Carolina Hurricanes' Jake Guentzel (59) watches the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins in Raleigh, N.C., April 4, 2024. The Tampa Bay Lightning got a head start on free agency by acquiring the rights to high-scoring winger Guentzel. The Lightning sent a 2025 third-round draft pick to Carolina on Sunday, June 30. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker, File)
