Texas’ Senate Bill 11 Will Bring Prayer and Bible Reading to School Days
The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 11 with a decisive 23-7 vote, thrusting the intersection of faith and public education back into the spotlight. The bill, now headed to the Texas House, empowers school boards to adopt policies allowing students and staff dedicated time during the school day to pray and read religious texts, such as the Bible, provided parents sign a consent form for their children to participate. Championed by Senator Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston), the legislation aims to defend religious freedom in the public square.
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“Thank you President Trump and Lt. Governor Patrick for making prayer in public schools a top priority,” State Sen. Mayes Middleton, the author of SB 11, said. “There is no such thing as ‘separation of church and state’ in our Constitution, and recent Supreme Court decisions by President Trump’s appointees reaffirmed this. The goal of this bill is to promote freedom of religion for teachers and students in the place where they spend most of their time—school.”
What Does Senate Bill 11 Do?
At its core, SB 11 offers school districts the option—not the mandate—to carve out a space for voluntary prayer and scripture reading. Participation isn’t compulsory; students need parental approval, and staff must opt in as well. The bill does prohibit prayer over intercoms or during instructional time. While the Bible is highlighted, the policy technically applies to “other religious texts.”
Senator Middleton believes the bill represents the best interest of our young people and is a restoration of rights, declaring, “In Texas, our schools are not God-free zones.” Supporters argue it’s a practical step to ensure students and educators can express their beliefs without fear of reprisal, leaning on a 2022 Supreme Court ruling (Kennedy v. Bremerton) that upheld a coach’s right to pray on a school field. It’s about reclaiming a historical norm—after all, school prayer was once commonplace in America before court decisions in the 1960s shifted the landscape.
Senator Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) voiced concerns, suggesting the bill nudges religion into a domain traditionally reserved for families, not public schools.
SB-10 Will Require Ten Commandments in Classes
Meanwhile another bill – SB 10 is on the table as well in Texas. SB 10 requires public school classrooms to include a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments to be “legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom.”
Texas isn’t alone in this push. Similar measures have cropped up in states like Idaho, Alabama, and Iowa, reflecting a broader movement to reintroduce religious elements into public education. From Ten Commandments displays to Bible-based electives, our nation is realizing leaving God out of schools had led to the chaos and confusion in our youth today and only the Lord can provide the peace and healing we need.
