Overview

• Senate Bill 11 took effect Sept. 1, authorizing school boards to set aside time for voluntary prayer or the reading of religious texts without replacing instructional time.
• Attorney General Ken Paxton urged districts to implement policies promptly and suggested students begin with the Lord’s Prayer.
• The law requires parental consent for student participation and permits students and employees to choose whether to take part.
• A separate Ten Commandments posting law is temporarily blocked by a federal injunction for 11 districts, and Paxton says the state is appealing as he directs other districts to comply.
• Civil liberties groups and legal experts say endorsing a specific Christian prayer raises church‑state concerns, and Sen. John Cornyn publicly criticized Paxton’s push.