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Houston-Area Boards Largely Reject Daily School Prayer as Deadline Nears

State law sets a March 1 vote deadline, conditioning any program on parental consent with a liability waiver.

Students from San Antonio Christian School pray before elected officials, including the governor, speak at an event the school hosted to promote school vouchers. School districts across the Houston area have voted on whether to adopt a daily period of prayer for students, as required by a new state law.
Magnolia High School pictured Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. Magnolia ISD's board passed a resolution Feb. 9 to establish a daily period of prayer, becoming one of the first school districts in the Houston area to adopt school-sponsored prayer.
Conroe ISD will not establish a period of prayer under a new state law, with board members agreeing it wasn’t needed since students and faculty are already allowed to engage in individual prayer during the school day. File photo.
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Overview

  • Magnolia ISD approved a daily prayer period on Feb. 9 and will now draft local policies, with officials planning to seek consent-form templates from the Texas attorney general’s office.
  • Keller ISD near Dallas is the only other district widely reported to have adopted the policy so far.
  • Galveston ISD joined Conroe, Cypress-Fairbanks, Houston, Katy, Humble, Pearland, Spring and others in voting no, citing logistical and legal concerns and noting existing rights for student prayer.
  • North Texas boards in Grand Prairie, Irving and Cleburne also rejected SB11 provisions this week as more districts schedule votes ahead of the deadline.
  • Under SB11, any designated prayer period must occur outside instructional time and every campus must provide space, with the attorney general’s office expected to defend districts that implement the policy.