Remnant Recap

• District vote held: Denton ISD unanimously voted not to adopt a new policy allowing designated prayer and religious study time under SB 11.

• Reasoning explained: Board members and legal counsel said existing laws already protect students’ religious rights and warned the policy could add restrictions.

• Broader context: The vote comes as Texas lawmakers advance multiple efforts to expand religious expression in public schools.

A North Texas school district has opted out of implementing a new state law that would have allowed designated time during the school day for student prayer and religious study. During a December meeting, Denton Independent School District trustees unanimously voted against adopting the policy outlined in Senate Bill 11, arguing that students already have broad constitutional protections to express their faith voluntarily. District leaders and legal counsel warned the law’s detailed requirements could unintentionally restrict religious expression rather than expand it. The decision places Denton ISD among a small but growing number of Texas districts declining to adopt the optional prayer policy.

The Christian Post reports:

A North Texas school board has unanimously voted to opt out of adopting a new policy that would set aside dedicated time during the school day for prayer and religious study, citing concerns that it could impose unnecessary restrictions on students’ existing constitutional rights.

The decision, made during a Denton Independent School District (ISD) board of trustees meeting on Dec. 9, comes in response to Senate Bill 11 (SB 11), a bipartisan measure passed by the Texas Legislature requiring all school districts to vote on whether to implement such a policy by March 2026. Districts that decline, like Denton ISD, located about 40 miles north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, face no further obligations under the law.

In a vote on the adoption of a resolution based on SB 11, the Denton ISD board determined that “existing state and federal law … already protects students’ rights to voluntarily pray, read religious texts, express religious viewpoints, and organize religious groups.”

The board also determined such a move was “unnecessary and would impose additional procedural requirements on rights that students already fully possess.”

Denton ISD’s legal counsel, Deron Robinson, advised the board against adoption, warning that the policy’s strict guidelines could limit rather than expand religious expression.

As more districts weigh their options under SB 11, the debate continues over how best to protect religious freedom without adding new constraints. The Denton ISD vote highlights the ongoing tension between legislative intent and local interpretation of constitutional rights in public schools.

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