A bill permitting Texas public and charter schools to hold voluntary prayer and readings of religious texts has stalled after lawmakers failed to take further action.
The House Committee on State Affairs discussed Senate Bill 11, which would allow local school boards to decide whether to allocate time for private prayer or scripture readings, such as from the Bible. SB 11 would require parental consent for student participation in any prayer or reading from the Bible or other religious texts. The bill, which passed the Senate 24-6 in March, is expected to undergo further discussion.
Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, authored the bill, while it was introduced in the House by Rep. David Spiller, R-Jacksboro. Spiller stated that “prayers and reading from any religious text would be permitted,” and the bill “explicitly prohibits the use of public address systems for these activities and mandates that they occur outside of instructional time.”
“This initiative is about restoring local control and providing communities with the opportunity to reflect their values within their schools,” Spiller said in a statement Wednesday. “It respects individual freedoms while allowing those who wish to engage in prayer and scripture reading the space to do so.”
He also referenced the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton Independent School District, which affirmed a Washington high school football coach’s right to pray on the field during and after games, citing protections under the First Amendment’s Free Exercise and Free Speech clauses.
Spiller emphasized that SB 11 “empowers local school districts to shape their policies,” adding, “Someone has an opportunity to read the Bible, someone has an opportunity to read some other religious texts, and that other religious text is not defined.”
During the hearing’s public comment period, the bill drew both praise and criticism, with Rev. Jody Harrison, a Baptist minister speaking for Texas Impact, a progressive interfaith group, delivering a warning about “Christian nationalism.”
“You are prioritizing in this bill one type of Christianity over all of your constituents’ children and grandchildren,” Harrison claimed. “How would you feel having their religious beliefs prioritized over your children or grandchildren in their classrooms?” Harrison also warned that “prioritizing” Protestant Christianity could lead to even further issues.
Lawmakers chose to take no committee action on SB 11, leaving the bill’s future uncertain regarding a full House vote. The legislation is similar to another bill passed in April, which would allow teachers and school employees to pray or engage in religious speech while on duty in public schools.
Senate Bill 965, which was approved with a 22-9 party-line vote in the Republican-led chamber, states that “the right of an employee of a school district or open-enrollment charter school to engage in religious speech or prayer while on duty may not be infringed on by the district or school or another state governmental entity,” with narrowly defined exceptions.
Currently, Texas law affirms that “the right of a student to pray in public schools is voluntary,” stating that “a person may not require, encourage, or coerce a student to engage in or refrain from such prayer or meditation during any school activity.”
