Overview
- A multi-faith coalition organized by the Baptist Joint Committee, Christians Against Christian Nationalism, and Texas Impact sent a Jan. 8 open letter asking boards to vote no and offering a model resolution that affirms voluntary student prayer rights.
- SB11 requires every district to decide whether to set a daily period for prayer or reading religious texts, with a statutory deadline to vote by March 1.
- Participation would require parental consent that forfeits the right to sue over the policy, a provision clergy say could fuel coercion, bullying, and administrative burdens for schools.
- The ACLU and allied groups have warned of legal action if districts adopt the policy, while Attorney General Ken Paxton has pledged state defense and publicly urged students to recite the Lord’s Prayer.
- Related litigation over Ten Commandments classroom displays involving some signers is moving through federal courts with Fifth Circuit review later this month, and Pearland ISD has already declined to implement the prayer option.