One day after a new law supporting prayer in school took effect, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged schools to implement it and suggested the Lord’s Prayer as an example.
Senate Bill 11, which was passed in June, allows schools who want to implement such a policy to have a time of prayer in school. It requires all schools to “adopt a policy requiring every campus of the district or school to provide students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text on each school day.”
The law says schools have six months to adopt a policy. Instructional time cannot be reduced to make room for the period of prayer, according to the law.
Parental permission is required to participate in any prayer session, according to the law.
The law requires the Attorney General to defend any school sued for its implementation of the prayer policy.
HURRAY!!!!
Thank you, TX AG Ken Paxton!!In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the 10 Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up. Our nation was founded on the rock of Biblical truth, and I will not stand by while the far left attempts to push our country into… pic.twitter.com/Y7dN2A8qjF
— Melissa Redpill – Freedom Force (@MelissaRedpill) September 2, 2025
“In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up,” Paxton said, according to a news release posted on his website.
“Twisted, radical liberals want to erase Truth, dismantle the solid foundation that America’s success and strength were built upon, and erode the moral fabric of our society. Our nation was founded on the rock of Biblical Truth, and I will not stand by while the far-left attempts to push our country into the sinking sand,” he said.
“For Texas students considering how to best utilize this time, Attorney General Paxton encourages children to begin with the Lord’s Prayer, as taught by Jesus Christ,” Paxton’s release added.
Republican State Rep. David Spiller said the bill helps school districts that are “caught between community expectations and legal uncertainty,” according to the Texas Tribune.
“SB 11 is about protecting the freedom of those who choose to pray, and just as importantly, protecting the rights of those who choose not to,” he said.
HUGE WIN????????????SB11 brings prayer back to our schools and just passed the Texas House!⁰Religious freedom ensures that our voice of faith has the space to be heard. That right is not just constitutional — it’s foundational. pic.twitter.com/XPdXkN8JN9
— For Liberty & Justice (@FLJ_Official) May 24, 2025
“At a time when faith is under attack in so many areas of public life, SB11 reaffirms that our First Amendment rights don’t stop at the schoolhouse door. In Texas, we still believe in the power of prayer and we’re not afraid to defend it,” Spiller wrote on Instagram.
Republican State Sen. Mayes Middleton said the law flows from America’s deep connection to faith.
We are at an inflection point. Postmodern ideology has failed us as a society, and we are starting to turn our hearts back to prayer and God’s Word. Everyone knows we failed. Senate Bill 11 will help put our children and schools back on the right track. @mayes_middleton pic.twitter.com/1RMUyN4uuv
— Rep. Mitch Little (@realmitchlittle) May 22, 2025
“We are a state and nation built on ‘In God We Trust.’ You have to ask: are our schools better or worse off since prayer was taken out in the 1960s?” Middleton said, according to the Texas Tribune.
“Litigious atheists are no longer going to get to decide for everyone else if students and educators exercise their religious liberties during school hours,” Middleton said.
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