Education · Religious liberty · Public records

Conway School District No. 1: Ten Commandments Displays & Implementation

The Stinson opinion records 850 posters received by August 4, 2025 and displayed in every Conway classroom. Conway was later added to the preliminary injunction and is one of the six districts bound by the March 16 permanent order.

By WorthFighting Research · Published and verified October 9, 2026 · Selected records, not a nationwide compliance census

National tracker State database Court database 2026 report

What the local record establishes

Blocked for named defendants

Applicable law: Act 573 / Ark. Code §1-4-133
Current documented scope: Court found a poster in every classroom before Conway was enjoined; no current physical inventory audited
Verified: 2026-10-09

Stinson — permanent-injunction opinion, Document 188 · Eighth Circuit — September 2026 oral arguments · Eighth Circuit — opinions for 26-1722 · Arkansas Act 573 — approved text

Board and superintendent action

No separate board vote record obtained; classroom implementation and subsequent removal order are documented by the court

Vote history: Not located
Donation source / status: Court found Conway received 850 posters by August 4, 2025
Display design and context: Court discusses classroom placement and includes display evidence; this is historical litigation evidence, not a current campus inspection
Local legal / staff guidance: Operative reviewed restriction is the March 16 permanent injunction against named defendants; separate local counsel advice not public in reviewed record
Grievances and litigation: Families moved to join Stinson August 28; Conway added to preliminary injunction September 10. Court found actual classroom exposure.

How the state rule applies here

Arkansas statutory requirements and court scope

Display rule: Required, subject to funding and court orders
Covered spaces: Classrooms and libraries; additional public buildings/facilities under statute
Funding rule: Subsection (c) expressly permits public funds or a private donation to replace a nonconforming copy; surplus copies must be donated onward
Donation rule: Initial copies donated or purchased solely from voluntary contributions under subsection (b)

The source above establishes the stated local action only. A legal mandate, a board direction and a received poster are not interchangeable with confirmed classroom completion. For this defendant district, the injunction—not the historical installation count—determines the current legal restriction.

Local timeline

2025-08-04By this date Conway had received 850 posters, according to the court.
2025-08-28Conway families moved to join the suit.
2025-09-10Court added Conway to preliminary injunction.
2026-03-16Permanent injunction included Conway.
2026-09-22Eighth Circuit heard appeal.

Litigation and limits

Stinson v. Fayetteville School District No. 1

Judgment on appeal

Stinson produced a permanent injunction after a developed factual record, including actual classroom displays in Conway and Lakeside. The appeal is in the Eighth Circuit, so the Fifth Circuit’s Texas decision is not itself the appellate ruling in this case.

Next: No next deadline located

Docket, parties, relief and scope

Dockets: W.D. Ark. 5:25-cv-05127; Eighth Circuit 26-1722
Court: Western District of Arkansas / Eighth Circuit
State / challenged law: Arkansas / Arkansas Act 573
Parties: Parents and children v. Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, Siloam Springs, Conway and Lakeside districts; Arkansas officials intervened
Claims: Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause
Filed: Original filing date not independently established in this baseline
Current posture: Plaintiffs won summary judgment March 16, 2026; six defendants permanently enjoined; appeal argued September 22
Preliminary relief: Original four districts August 4, 2025; Conway September 10; Lakeside November 10
Permanent relief: Granted March 16, 2026 against six defendant districts
Appeal: 26-1722 pending; oral argument September 22, 2026; official search returned no opinion at baseline
Supreme Court: No petition located
Latest filing / event: Latest verified public event is September 22 argument; a complete current appellate filing ledger was not obtained
Next known deadline: No next deadline located
Legal / geographic scope: Six named defendant districts, not an automatic injunction against every Arkansas school district or public building
Last verified: 2026-10-09

Arkansas state tracker

Stinson — permanent-injunction opinion, Document 188 · Eighth Circuit — September 2026 oral arguments · Eighth Circuit — opinions for 26-1722 · Arkansas Act 573 — approved text

Direct local answers

Did Conway actually put up posters?

Yes, historically. Document 188 says it received 850 and hung a poster in every classroom. That finding concerns the period before Conway was enjoined.

Can that count be used as today’s installed total?

No. Conway was added to the injunction in September 2025 and is a defendant under the March 2026 permanent order. The number describes the historical record.

Does Conway’s order bind every Arkansas district?

No. The reviewed order binds the six defendant districts, including Conway.

Has the appellate court changed the result?

The official Eighth Circuit opinion search returned no opinion at the baseline. Oral argument occurred September 22; no superseding stay was located in the reviewed records.

What would resolve the remaining gaps

A later Eighth Circuit disposition, a stay order, or a district statement implementing such an order would change the legal-status record. A separate board action or current classroom inventory would add local operational detail.

Local document library

Stinson — permanent-injunction opinion, Document 1882026-03-16 · Checked 2026-10-09. Court-stamped primary document hosted by plaintiffs’ counsel (ACLU), not a counsel press summary. Pages 1–3, 11–14 and 25–26.
Eighth Circuit — September 2026 oral arguments2026-09-22 · Checked 2026-10-09. No. 26-1722 argued September 22, 2026; argument is not a decision.
Eighth Circuit — opinions for 26-17222026-10-09 · Checked 2026-10-09. Official case-opinion search returned “No Opinion Found” at baseline.
Arkansas Act 573 — approved text2025-04-14 · Checked 2026-10-09. Page 3 visually checked: voluntary funding rule in (b), public-fund replacement exception in (c).

Update log

October 9, 2026: Initial source-checked publication. Local evidence and current-status limits recorded.

This is a dated research snapshot. Future updates require a new source check; no automatic monitoring is claimed.