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News Brief
Friday, November 14, 2025 — 10:51 am
The Kern County Board of Education canceled a vote on an item that would include displaying the Ten Commandments in the alternative schools that the board oversees.
“Based on our closed session, there is further investigation and research we need to do,” trustee Joe Marcano announced at Thursday night’s meeting.
The move to cancel the item surprised the nearly 200 members of the public, who filled the boardroom and an overflow room, The Bakersfield Californian reported.
The canceled resolution would have adopted the display of the Ten Commandments in local alternative schools overseen by the board, alongside the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Star-Spangled Banner, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the national motto.
During board comment, trustee James Robinson said that the resolution was tabled “because of legalese and a whole bunch of clever tap-dancing by a couple of organizations.”
He asked the citizens of Kern County to stand up to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and tell them not to sue the board. The ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation penned a letter warning that posting the Ten Commandments in schools would violate the Religion Clauses of the California Constitution, as well as the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment and Free Exercise clauses, and expose the board to litigation.
Robinson disputed the argument during public comment on Thursday that posting the Ten Commandments would violate the U.S. Constitution.
“They’re parroting wrong things at the expense of a possibly very good idea, something that could save everybody,” said Robinson. “I’m not done talking about the Ten Commandments. I’m not done talking about those historical documents.”
Other board members also championed the resolution in their comments.
“I think it would bring back truth and especially historical truth about how our nation was founded,” said trustee Lori Cisneros. “I think that’s important for staff and students and parents to remember. It’s not about pushing religion; it’s not about teaching the religion; it’s simply displaying it as a reminder of where we came from. I think we’ve strayed from that foundation in some ways as a result of the ideologies we’ve pushed in the classroom.”
Trustee Lori Eskew responded to the discussion in public comment and the signs some attendees brought to the meeting.
“I saw your sign about [explaining to] a first grader adultery,” she said. “How about explaining to them about giving a blow job to a boy in the schools for that book that you’re reading them? Or what about tampons in a boys’ bathroom? Or what about a transgender playing volleyball? Are you going to explain that to a first grader?”
Eskew also claimed that a local Spanish teacher spoke about their transgender son to his class. An attendee asked if Eskew was bearing false witness before Marcano interjected and stated that the time for public comment had passed.
Two board members were absent from Thursday’s meeting, including board President Mary Little, who Marcano said lost her voice.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 10:58 am
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