Education · Religious liberty · Public records

Livingston Parish School Board: Ten Commandments Displays & Implementation

At its March 19, 2026 special meeting, the board adopted a resolution directing classroom displays, assigning implementation to the superintendent and keeping the project voluntary in funding. Published minutes record seven yes votes.

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

Implementing

Applicable law: HB 71 / Act 676 / R.S. 17:2124
Current documented scope: Each classroom in each school under the board; completion not independently verified
Verified: 2026-10-09

Livingston Parish School Board — March 19 minutes · Louisiana R.S. 17:2124 — Act 676 · Roake — Fifth Circuit en banc opinion · Supreme Court docket 25-1360 · Louisiana AG — HB 71 guidance and display models

Board and superintendent action

March 19, 2026 special board meeting, item 8: adopted Act 676 implementation resolution

Vote history: 7 yes, 0 no recorded: Sharp, Bradley Harris, Cecil Harris, Cox, Cockerham, McMorris and Link; two members absent from meeting attendance
Donation source / status: Resolution authorizes procuring/accepting donated posters and distribution; it does not supply donor names, delivered count or installation inventory
Display design and context: At least 11 × 14 inches; statutory text central in readable font. Board recognizes discretion over nature of display and directs compliance with law.
Local legal / staff guidance: Board president reported guidance from governor, AG and BESE permitting implementation after litigation; exact underlying communications were not separately obtained
Grievances and litigation: Livingston is a Roake defendant board. February 20 vacatur concerns that preliminary injunction; pending conditional petition does not itself prohibit implementation.

How the state rule applies here

Louisiana statutory requirements and court scope

Display rule: Required
Covered spaces: Each classroom; local governing authority determines nature of K–12 display
Funding rule: Law does not require school authorities or postsecondary institutions to spend their own funds; donated funds/displays are specified
Donation rule: K–12 authority shall accept donated funds or donated displays to fund them free of charge

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. The tracker retains the district’s documented rollout language when no later completion record is available.

Local timeline

2026-02-20Roake preliminary injunction vacated.
2026-03-19Special meeting adopted implementation resolution, item 8.
2026-04-16Minutes published in public-notice edition.
2026-10-09Board decision verified; a completed installation roster not located.

Litigation and limits

Roake v. Brumley

Certiorari petition pending

Roake turns on ripeness. The en banc court vacated preliminary relief because the constitutional questions depended on actual display context. State defendants’ conditional Supreme Court petition is captioned Brumley v. Roake, reversing the lower-court name order.

Next: 2026-10-19 — response due

Docket, parties, relief and scope

Dockets: M.D. La. 3:24-cv-00517; Fifth Circuit 24-30706; Supreme Court 25-1360 (Brumley v. Roake)
Court: Fifth Circuit / U.S. Supreme Court
State / challenged law: Louisiana / Louisiana HB 71 / Act 676
Parties: Parents and children v. Louisiana education officials and parish boards; Supreme Court petition filed by state defendants and four boards
Claims: Facial Establishment Clause and Free Exercise challenge
Filed: Original filing date not independently established in this baseline
Current posture: February 20 en banc court vacated preliminary injunction as premature; constitutional merits not decided by that disposition
Preliminary relief: 2024 preliminary injunction vacated February 20, 2026
Permanent relief: No permanent injunction identified in reviewed record
Appeal: En banc ruling February 20, 2026
Supreme Court: Conditional petition filed May 21, 2026 by Brumley and others; no grant recorded
Latest filing / event: 2026-09-18 — order extending time to respond
Next known deadline: 2026-10-19 — response due
Legal / geographic scope: Appeal involved state education officials and East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Vernon and St. Tammany boards. The vacatur does not preapprove a particular district display or bar a developed as-applied claim.
Last verified: 2026-10-09

Louisiana state tracker

Roake — Fifth Circuit en banc opinion · Brumley v. Roake — conditional petition and appendix · Supreme Court docket 25-1360 · Louisiana R.S. 17:2124 — Act 676 · Louisiana AG — HB 71 guidance and display models

Direct local answers

Did Livingston’s board vote on displays?

Yes. Item 8 of the March 19 minutes records the resolution and seven affirmative votes.

Does the resolution prove every poster is installed?

No. It assigns procurement, distribution and legal compliance responsibilities. An installation completion report was not located.

Who carries out the board’s decision?

The superintendent or designee is directed to implement the requirement. The resolution also assigns administration responsibility for monitoring legal developments.

Who pays?

The resolution describes voluntary funding without cost to the school board. It does not document individual donations or amounts received.

What would resolve the remaining gaps

A dated installation inventory, donation acceptance record, board minutes or updated superintendent notice would distinguish planned coverage from completed placement. The record is not labeled noncompliant while those documents remain unlocated.

Local document library

Livingston Parish School Board — March 19 minutes2026-03-19 · Checked 2026-10-09. Board-authored minutes in April 16 legal-notice publication; page 1, item 8. Layout visually checked.
Louisiana R.S. 17:2124 — Act 6762024-06-19 · Checked 2026-10-09. Current statute: effective June 19, 2024; K–12 and postsecondary requirements differ.
Roake — Fifth Circuit en banc opinion2026-02-20 · Checked 2026-10-09. Court-authored opinion hosted by Louisiana AG; ripeness holding, not a merits endorsement.
Supreme Court docket 25-13602026-09-18 · Checked 2026-10-09. Conditional petition pending; September 18 extension sets response due October 19.
Louisiana AG — HB 71 guidance and display modelsUndated live record · Checked 2026-10-09. Linked from official AG Article 431; four model designs, guidance letter and draft board resolution. AG legal position, not a judicial approval.

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.