Ten Commandments to be displayed in all Louisiana public school classrooms.
CHURCH
STATE AND
BIBLICAL BILL
Public Louisiana classrooms required to display the Ten Commandments
BY SARAH WALTON @sarahrosewalton
House Bill 71, also known as the Ten Commandments Bill, was signed into law by Governor Jeff Landry on June 19.
This new law, Act 676, will require a print of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public classrooms from elementary to college level by the beginning of 2025. The law also allows but doesn’t require classrooms to display other historical documents such as the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance.
The most controversial of these documents is the Ten Commandments, which according to the law must be displayed in a “large, easily readable font” on a poster or framed document of at least 11 inches by 14 inches in size. The commandments must be displayed with an accompanying three paragraph context statement explaining their significance to American history.
The act justifies having the Ten Commandments in schools, saying that the commandments are “our nation’s history and faithfully reflects the understanding of the founders of our nation with respect to the necessity of civic morality to a functional self-government.”
The law continued by stating, “Including the Ten Commandments in the education of our children is part of our state and national history, culture, and tradition.”
Sophia Beth Barber, a rising senior at Baton Rouge High School, was shocked about the new law.
“I couldn’t believe it actually
got passed,” she said. Barber said the law conflicts with her belief that Church and state should be separate entities and shouldn’t have been passed.
“I feel like it’s going to create a lot of problems due to the fact that not everyone in public schools is Catholic, and I feel like this is violating their right to religion,” Barber said.
The act cites the Supreme Court case of Van Orden v. Perry. A case where Thomas Van Orden sued Texas for having a monument to the Ten Commandments at the state capitol building. Orden argued the
monument violated the people’s First Amendment rights.
The Supreme Court decided in favor of Texas, saying, “Simply having religious content or promoting a message consistent with a religious doctrine does not run afoul of the Establishment Clause.”
LSU mechanical engineering sophomore Felix Anderson feels uneasy about the law’s passing.
“It’s a dangerous precedent to start requiring religious material in schools” he said. “It’s a bad precedent to set, especially in a state like Louisiana, where Christian nationalism is on the rise.”
Anderson said the timing wasn’t an accident, pointing out that House Bill 608 makes gendered spaces restricted to reproductive sex organs and House Bill 121 prohibits school employees from addressing students by their chosen names and pronouns.
Anderson said the bill reflects the disordered priorities of the current legislature.
“How typical, that instead of addressing our ranking in education, or the fact that 30% of our high school graduates are functionally illiterate, we put up a sign in each classroom they will not be able to read,” he said.
Anderson continued, saying the law is a “waste of resources and an attempt to normalize religious indoctrination.” Ultimately, he concluded that House Bill 71 “will lead to worse and more blatant religious propaganda in the future.”
The law’s controversial nature has also led some families
B-16 Hodges Hall
to take legal action.
On June 24, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced, “A multi-faith group of nine Louisiana families with children in public schools filed suit in federal court today.”
This group of Louisiana residents is working with the ACLU to stop House Bill 71 from being implemented.
Heather Weaver, an attorney working with the ACLU, said the organization has been following the bill since it was introduced in the House.
The ACLU referenced Stone v. Graham, a 1980 case that greatly resembles what is happening now. In 1980, a group of parents in Kentucky sued the state for requiring the Ten Commandments to be placed in every classroom.
The Supreme Court decided in favor of the families, calling the commandments “plainly religious in nature.” The court emphasized the first and fourth commandments, which call for worshiping God and honoring the Sabbath day, as the most unsuitable for public schools.
The complaint filed by the ACLU this week claimed that the bill “unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture.”
With the complaint, the ACLU also filed for a preliminary and permanent injunction to prevent the law from being put into action, claiming two counts of violations of the First Amendment, the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause.
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MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille
Clouds move past the Capitol Building April 25 in Baton Rouge, La.
MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille
Gov. Jeff Landry speaks March 25 during Coastal Day 2024 inside the Louisiana State Capitol.
NEWS READING RUT
Louisiana faces an ongoing literacy problem, and teachers struggle to keep up
BY SARAH WALTON @sarahrosewalton
It’s easy to take the ability to read and write for granted, but even in 2024, illiteracy is a persistent problem in Louisiana.
According to the Louisiana Department of Education’s 2023 Fall Reading Report,70.5% of Kindergarteners were below reading level, and 55.4% of children in grades K-3 were below reading level. In contrast, the 2019 Reading Report reported 56.7% of Kidgerateners as below the expected reading level. The literacy problem is actively worsening.
Paula LaCour, a literacy coach and the head of the English department at Tara High School, has years of experience with Louisiana students struggling with literacy. At Tara High School, she works on improving literacy by working with students and teachers to help the youth of Louisiana prepare for the outside world.
“The problem is huge. [A part] of the problem is the lack of certified highly qualified educators at the elementary level. That’s where it starts,” she said. “You will have an entire grade level with maybe one or even no certified teachers.”
For students from Pre-K to
POLITICS
second grade, LaCour said “you need at a bare minimum two adults in a room to be able to teach literacy to students,” which she said rarely happens in Louisiana classrooms.
LaCour said the fundamental problem is with keeping the already existing teachers. When it comes to teacher retention, “Pay is a part of the problem, but another problem is the lack of support for new teachers,” she said.
Even the teachers that don’t quit may have trouble teaching literacy, due to different approaches to education.
“Another issue is that a lot of these educators are not properly trained in the science of reading,” LaCour said.
The Science of Reading is a technique for teaching reading that has become more popular over the past few decades. The practice is focused on teaching phonics instead of making a person memorize words.
According to a 2019 data map of adult literacy rates and other corresponding statistics made by the Barbara Bush Foundation, 27.1% of Louisiana adults have low literacy, and five out of six Louisiana parishes have a quarter of their populations with below basic literacy.
The information from their
Literacy Gap Snapshot showed a correlation between low literacy parishes and having less access to healthcare, more adults without a high school degree, more residents below the poverty line and a lower median income.
LaCour said getting students on track after they’ve fallen behind in literacy is difficult. “By the time [students] get to middle school and high school, it’s incredibly difficult to close that gap for students,” she said.
LaCour said a lot of kids face challenges caused by their “poor reading habits” and a perceived shame around education.
“They already devalue it, they already feel they are not good at it. It’s a really difficult fight at that point. It can still be done, but pre-K to second grade is where we need to be catching these students,” she said.
LaCour said she often sees a correlation between students that struggle to read and students with personal emotional problems.
She said students in high school that struggle with reading “are usually the students who use their behavior to hide [their issues].” For these students, poor behavior distracts from their struggles. “It’s better to be bad than it is to be dumb,” she said.
LaCour continued, talking about the struggles teachers go through trying to help their students meet standards for the year while helping students that are struggling with reading. “It can be done, but it is extremely difficult,” she said.
It’s incredibly hard to not only keep teachers, but it’s also hard for them to meet the needs of every single student.
“I see movies where teachers, their first day, walk in and write on the board, and that’s how they start, and that is so unrealistic,” LaCour said.
She said being a teacher is much more than what happens in the classroom and talked about all the work that’s done before and after the school day.
“Sometimes it feels like we’re throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks,” she said. “Teachers have so much on their plate and they are expected to do so much.”
LaCour said she previously worked at a middle school with a program called Read 180. She said the program used the science of reading and was largely successful.
“The teacher who worked that program did it with fidelity and consistency, and most of our students who left us left on
grade level, unless there was an extreme learning deficiency or disability,” she said.
Reading and writing skills are everything. They’re basic skills most people don’t think twice about. However, an inability to read and write can greatly impact one’s life.
Though many struggle with reading, writing, and understanding text, there are many ways illiteracy is being combated. Starting at the library. By its mere existence, the public has access to thousands of books, learning tools and activities while also giving citizens a safe place to learn and enjoy themselves.
Libraries have always been and will always be incredibly important for communities, especially for those within communities that have less access and privilege.
Summer reading programs are impactful ways libraries, schools and organizations encourage reading, help people grow in their abilities, and engage with the community through a healthy outlet. The East Baton Rouge Library has a summer reading program every year for both children and adults. Barnes and Noble also started its own program by rewarding children with books for reading.
Homeless shelter funding, housing for ex-incarcerated vetoed
BY JULIE O’DONOGHUE LA Illuminator
Gov. Jeff Landry’s line-item vetoes from the state budget include money for a homeless shelter in Lafayette and housing for the formerly incarcerated in New Orleans.
In total, the governor took $4.5 million from nonprofits out of the $48 billion budget Louisiana lawmakers approved earlier this month. In one of his veto letters, Landry implied nongovernmental organizations should be more closely vetted before they receive state funds.
“Prior to next legislative session, we plan to work with the legislature to develop criteria for what type of NGO requests represent the best use of our scarce state resources,” the governor wrote.
One of the single largest cuts Landry made was for $1 million to Catholic Charities of Acadiana for its emergency homeless shelter operations in Lafayette. The facilities serve the surrounding eight parishes, and the funding would have been provided for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Landry, who is Catholic and lives in Lafayette Parish, did not explain why he removed the funding.
“The vetoed shelter appropriations are a significant setback to our pro-life efforts to care for our vulnerable neighbors experiencing homelessness,” Kim Boudreaux, head of Catholic Charities of Acadiana, said in a written statement Tuesday. “Our shelter serves as a critical lifeline for 87 individuals each night who have nowhere else to turn. We face an uncertain future for those who seek shelter with us as a last resort.”
Last year, the organization provided shelter to 410 people and was able to help 135 people find permanent housing, said Ben Broussard, head of external affairs for the group. More than 80% of the people staying in the shelter came from the Acadiana region.
Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette, said he was disappointed to hear about the shelter’s cut, especially because the organization helps military veterans struggling with mental health challenges. If the shelter has to shut down or cut back on operations, it could make homelessness worse.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry gives his address in the House Chamber on opening day of the regular legislative session March 11 at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, La.
“The problem doesn’t just go away,” Boudreaux said in an interview Tuesday.
Landry also removed $250,000 from a housing project for the formerly incarcerated in New Orleans. The money was supposed
to go to The First 72+, a nonprofit organization that provides support to people recently released from prison, including providing them with transitional residences.
The governor’s other major reductions include a $500,000 cut to
Teach for America, which provides educators to high-needs schools, and pulling $1 million from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, which provides grants to nonprofits for disaster mitigation and state cultural promotion.
COURTESY OF HILARY SCHEINUK
SPORTS OLYMPIC BOUND
Sha’Carri Richardson, other former LSU track and field athletes try for 2024 Paris Olympics
BY JASON WILLIS @JasonWillis4
With the U.S. Olympic trials in track and field occurring during the past week, the country has selected its top athletes to go to Paris and compete at the biggest stage the sport has to offer.
LSU had a total of 23 current and former athletes competing, including star sprinter and phenom Sha’Carri Richardson.
Richardson is officially going to the Olympics in the 100-meter sprint after finishing first in the event, and she could potentially be selected for the 4x100 relay, as well.
She finished with the top time at the trials in both the 100-meter and the 200-meter races.
However, she finished fourth in the 200-meter finals and failed to qualify for the Olympics in that event, despite her semifinal time being the second-fastest in the world this year.
Richardson is expected to be one of the U.S.’s top competitors in Paris, as she won gold at the World Championships last year in the 100-meter and the 4x100 relay.
Richardson competed for LSU in 2019 and was a threetime SEC champion, four-time All-American and a national
champion in the 100-meter. After her freshman season, she left LSU to compete professionally.
Her path to this moment wasn’t easy, as she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 only to be disappointingly disqualified for her use of cannabis.
Now, she’ll get the chance to redeem herself and lead the pack of talented LSU athletes that will be competing in Paris.
LSU also has several former athletes who could be selected for U.S. relay teams after narrowly missing out on qualifying for their events’ finals.
Aleia Hobbs could make the 4x100 women’s relay team after her fifth-place finish in the 100-meter finals, while Brandon Hicklin could do the same on the men’s side after his seventhplace finish in that event.
Vernon Norwood also is in
consideration for the 4x400 men’s relay team for his fourthplace finish in the 400-meter finals.
Also putting on a great performance at the trials was current Tiger Michaela Rose, who just missed out on qualifying when she finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles.
In other countries, LSU also has athletes who have qualified for the olympics.
Former LSU pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis will look to defend his world title from the 2020 Olympics as he competes for Sweden.
Former Tiger Natoya Goule, who last competed at LSU in 2013, will compete for Jamaica in the 800-meter race.
Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, a 10-time All-American and a 2017 graduate of LSU, will be racing for Great Britain in the 4x100 relay.
Thelma Davies, who just finished her fifth and final year with LSU, will race in the 100-meter and 200-meter for Liberia.
Recent LSU graduate Claudio Romero will be competing in the discus throw for Chile.
Current LSU athlete Tima Godbless has qualified for Nigeria in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.
Ella Onojuvwevwo, Favour Ofili, Godson Oghenebrume will also each compete for Nigeria in the 400-meter, 200-meter and 100-meter races, respectively. Ofili and Godbless will team up on the 4x100 relays for the country, while Onojuvwevwo will race in the 4x400 relays.
Shakeem McKay, who just finished up his sophomore season at LSU, will race for Trinidad and Tobago in the 4x400 relays.
change affect LSU baseball? BASEBALL
How does Texas A&M’s coaching
BY JASON WILLIS @JasonWillis4
Happiness doesn’t last forever, especially not in the sports world; after every victory, the next day comes, and teams have to prepare to face whatever’s next.
But for Texas A&M, you’d think the celebration would’ve lasted a tad longer.
The Aggies are coming off what was perhaps the best season in the program’s history: they made it to the College World Series finals for the first time and came up one game short of a national championship.
That title instead went deservingly to Tennessee with its 6-5 win over Texas A&M in game three of the CWS finals.
To be so close from Texas A&M’s standpoint is thoroughly heartbreaking, but nonetheless an achievement worthy of celebrating.
Head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s unexpected departure to state rival Texas turned all of
that on its head.
Since he officially signed with the Longhorns on Tuesday, 13 Texas A&M baseball players have entered the transfer portal.
Many of them are highly-coveted athletes.
What does the situation mean for LSU?
Could LSU land any of Texas A&M’s outgoing players?
Typically, when a coach switches schools, it’s assumed that many of his players will follow him.
However, the fashion in which Schlossnagle left Texas A&M makes that significantly less likely than in normal situations.
Just days before, Schlossnagle was vehemently denying that he was considering flipping from College Station to Austin despite rumors.
When he changed course, it felt like betrayal to many Texas A&M fans and players, some of whom have been outspoken on social media.
Now, his former players are forced to consider continuing
their baseball careers elsewhere.
There remains a possibility that many of the athletes will return to Texas A&M, with the Aggies hiring Michael Earley, their hitting coach this past season who originally followed Schlossnagle to Austin, as their new head coach.
However, some of the players have been linked to LSU, most notably all-SEC outfielder Jace LaViolette.
LaViolette was committed to LSU out of high school before flipping to Texas A&M. However, he flipped because his primary recruiter at LSU, Nolan Cain, moved to the Aggies’ coaching staff, and he’s since followed Schlossnagle to Texas.
Still, LaViolette would be a massive addition for the Tigers, as the sophomore hit .305 from the plate and smashed 29 home runs and 78 RBI, No. 6 and No. 11 in the nation, respectively.
Third baseman Gavin Grahovac, who was the SEC freshman of the year this season, is also in the portal. He had a .298 batting average and hit 23 home runs
this year.
Also in the portal are starters Kaeden Kent, Ali Camarillo and Hayden Schott.
The Tigers are doing their due diligence on these players and all of the Texas A&M evacuees, and any of them would be valuable additions.
However, it seems likely many of them will be sticking with Earley and Texas A&M. What does this mean for facing these two teams in the SEC going forward?
Texas is joining the SEC starting this upcoming school year, so Schlossnagle continues to be an adversary for LSU even at his new school.
As six-time champions, Texas is one of the most storied baseball programs in the nation, and Schlossnagle’s hire could get them back to the upper echelon they’d fallen from in incumbent David Pierce’s last few years.
Schlossnagle is certainly an effective program-builder, as he’s TCU’s all-time leader in wins and led the Horned Frogs to the CWS five times in 18
years. In just three years with the Aggies, he took the team to the CWS twice and made them a national championship-caliber team.
The Longhorns will certainly be a worthy opponent for years to come for LSU. It’s harder to say that with Texas A&M, as Earley has never been a head coach at any level.
He’s certainly been a key part of the Aggies’ rise and their improvement at the plate the past few years, and he produced similar results at his first assistant coaching gig at Arizona State.
However, he’s not a splashy hire. If Texas A&M can bring back the outgoing transfers who were crucial to its CWS run, it could be a successful team in the short run, but the long-term health of the program would be in question without a top-notch head coach.
It remains to be seen whether Earley can keep the program’s momentum up and whether Texas A&M will be a program for LSU to look out for in the future.
GEORGE WALKER IV / AP Photo
Sha’Carri Richardson wins a women’s 100-meter run semi-final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials June 22 in Eugene, Ore.
ENTERTAINMENT
Song recommendations to get you into the Fourth of July spirit
BY EMILY BRACHER
@emily_bracher_
The Fourth of July is the perfect time of the year to celebrate this country, eat hot dogs and listen to music about America. If you’re looking for something to listen to while hanging out at the pool with friends and family, here are some songs to get you started.
Courtesy of The Red, White and Blue by
Toby Keith
Any song from Toby Keith’s discography is perfect for the Fourth of July, but “Courtesy of The Red, White and Blue” is the song for the holiday. If you’re looking for more Keith to add to your playlist, queue “Red Solo Cup” and “Made in America.”
Party in the USA by Miley
Cyrus
Do I really need to explain myself on this one?
This is the song of our generation (if you’re Gen Z). Pair this with a day at the pool, someone on the grill and some sparklers for the ideal evening.
Chicken Fried by Zac Brown Band
A country classic, “Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown Band is a must on not only this playlist but a summer playlist in general. Nearly 20 years later, this song is still a hit.
Springsteen by Eric
Church
While some might still not be over his whole Stagecoach Musical Festival controversy, Eric Church’s “Springsteen” is unskippable on the Fourth of July. Perfect for a day full of Bomb Pops and your parents making the day more political than it needs to be.
When it Rains it Pours by
Luke Combs
If you’re taking your Fourth of July out on the water for a boat day, any Luke Combs song is great for the occasion, but something about “When it Rains it Pours” really brings out the holiday spirit.
Firework by Katy
Perry
I am not going to explain myself.
Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen
God Bless the U.S.A by
Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus
Lee Greenwood
Do I really need to explain myself on this one?
This is the song of our generation (if you’re Gen Z). Pair this with a day at the pool, someone on the grill and some sparklers for the ideal evening.
Are you feeling patriotic and proud to be an American? Well then Lee Greenwood has the song for you. This is a country classic that’s a perfect addition to the playlist.
You may be wondering why I’m not recommending “Born in U.S.A.,” but I’m going to let you use your own time to look that up. Anyways, “Dancing in the Dark” is an awesome song to get into the mood for the Fourth of July.
THIS THURSDAY IN BR
BY CAMILLE MILLIGAN
P.M.
THURSDAY AT 8
JULY
4TH
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Fourth of July Concert
Main Library at Goodwood
The Baton Rouge Concert Band will have a free Fourth of July performance from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Plaza at the Main Branch of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. Celebrate Independence Day with patriotic music, and don’t forget to wear red, white and blue.
WBRZ’s Fireworks on the Mississippi Riverfront Plaza & City Dock
After watching the Baton Rouge Concert Band, you can head over to the riverfront and watch the sky light up during a free firework show from 9 p.m. to 9:25 p.m. The Manship Family and WBRZ will provide the fireworks for this Fourth of July tradition.
Red White & Blues Festival Galvez Plaza
The Baton Rouge Blues Festival and Foundation is producing a free, family friendly Fourth of July Festival at the Galvez Plaza from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Attendees can enjoy a free concert from Blues performer Chris Leblanc and purchase dinner at one of the many food vendors that will be available. Bringing a lawn chair and a hand-held fan is encouraged.
Want to see your event in the Reveille? Email information to editor@lsu.edu.
JULY
4 TH
THURSDAY AT 6
@camillemill
OPINION
Joe Biden should drop out of the race; vote for him anyway
PELLITTIERI’S PERSPECTIVE
MATTHEW
PELLITTIERI
@m_pellittieri
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump met face to face for the first time in four years in the CNN presidential debate on June 27.
For Biden, it was a chance to get back on top or at least make the race competitive. For his supporters and everyone else who doesn’t want to see Trump back in the White House, it was an opportunity to gain confidence or at least hope in their candidate.
Instead, it was a complete embarrassment.
Before the first question was even asked, Biden made a gaffe. As moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash introduced the candidates, Biden started speaking muffled indiscerible words as he shuffled to the podium.
When the first question was asked, Biden voters across the country let an exasperated sigh of distress as they heard what his voice would sound like for the night: raspy and quiet. He wouldn’t just slur his words, take long pauses, and say the wrong thing. That was expected. No, he would also cough and clear his throat the whole time.
He had a cold. Sure, there’s nothing he could do about it.
And sure, he’s old. But that doesn’t matter. When you’re trying to shake off the appearence of senility and fragility, sounding like he did is disasterous to your chances of winning over undecided voters and holding on to your own uneasy base.
Biden failed to regain some semblance of his dignity for the entire debate.
At one point, he tried to create a soundbite by turning around Trump’s words about
soldiers who died in combat: “You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.” That sounds impactful in print. But on TV, he fumbled the delivery and sounded like he was trying too hard to either bait Trump or mimic his opponent’s combative style.
In one viral moment, Biden answered a question on abortion by randomly pivoting to immigration. On top of coming across as confused, this mistake focused attention on one of his weakest issues. He proved himself as incompotent as he is adled.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Bracher
After his abysmal performance, many Biden voters may be tempted to abandon their already reluctant support. If you’re in that group, you’re right to be upset by the choice before you. You’re right to want a more competent candidate. You’re right to be frustrated by the party politics and personalities which brought us here. But none of that matter will matter in November. What will matter is defeating Trump. Should Biden be replaced on the Democratic ticket? Yes.
But will he be? Doubtful.
If he’s not—if you look down at your ballot on election day and see his name— you need to sigh, hold your nose, and vote for him anyway.
The only alternative to a Biden victory—to the status quo—is a Trump win.
If Biden loses, Trump will be president. Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can’t and won’t win. Neither will fellow indpendent Cornell West. Green Party nominee Jill Stein can’t and won’t win. Libertarian Party nominee Chase Oliver can’t and won’t win.
Voting for any candidate other than Joe Biden is a vote for Dosnald Trump. Not voting at all is a vote for Trump. And a vote for Trump is a vote to make the country worse.
If you have to, think of Biden as an empty husk of a man that serves as a stand-in for a “not Trump” vote. No change is better than a turn for the worse. So in November, this columnist plans to support Biden. And you should too. He’s the better option, the lesser of two evils, or whatever phrase you need to use in order get you to cast that vote against Donald Trump.
Matthew Pellittieri is a 20-year-old history and political science junior from Ponchatoula.
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GERALD HERBERT / AP Photo
President Joe Biden, speaks during a presidential debate hosted by CNN with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump June 27 in Atlanta.
GERALD HERBERT / AP Photo
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate hosted by CNN with President Joe Biden June 27 in Atlanta.