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University of Arkansas Begins Displaying Ten Commandments in Classrooms Under New State Law
The University of Arkansas is installing Ten Commandments posters across its campus following a new state law that requires the biblical text to be displayed in all public schools and universities.
The effort follows Act 573, legislation passed earlier this year mandating the posting of the Ten Commandments in every classroom and building throughout Arkansas’s public education system.
A Christian nonprofit called Counteract USA donated 500 posters to the university to help meet the legal requirement. The group was founded by former University of Arkansas student Abigail DeJarnatt, who said the initiative is about reminding students of moral values while following state law.
“This is Arkansas law,” DeJarnatt said. “Any opportunity we have to remind students that right and wrong, meaning and purpose are real — that there is a God who sees them and loves them — we’re going to take that opportunity.”
The move has renewed debate over the separation of church and state. Chris Sweeney, who leads the Ozarks chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, called the law unconstitutional.
“For atheist, Jewish, or nonreligious students, it is coercive,” Sweeney said. “We’re working with the ACLU to continue legal challenges. We have decades of precedent supporting separation of church and state.”
DeJarnatt emphasized that her organization did not draft Act 573 but is helping schools comply. “We didn’t write the law,” she said. “We’re just taking advantage of a law that exists.”
Reactions among students have been mixed. Senior Jace Windom said he supports the displays as a Christian, while first-year student Camryn LeBlanc questioned whether public funds should support religious messaging.
Under Act 573, all Arkansas public classrooms must display the Ten Commandments, funded through donations or voluntary contributions.
Credit: CNN Newsource
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October 15, 2025
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