Committee advances bill allowing voluntary school prayer and Bible readings, requires model consent process

The Senate Committee on Education voted to report Senate Bill 11, a measure that would authorize school districts to adopt an optional period for prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts during school hours, provided participating students are covered by parental consent and districts follow specified procedures.

Sponsor Sen. Lois Middleton told the committee the bill is meant to “provide space for free expression of religion in our public schools” and that participation would be voluntary and would not supplant instructional time. The bill authorizes districts to adopt a policy authorizing such a period and requires parents to provide consent; it also permits the Attorney General to provide a model consent form for districts to use.

Supporters — including clergy, veterans, and religious‑freedom groups — said the measure protects students’ free‑exercise rights and restores practices that preceded several Supreme Court decisions from the 1960s and 1970s. Coach Joe Kennedy, the litigant in Kennedy v. Bremerton, testified about his experience and said the law should protect students and staff who want to pray; "No one in America should ever have to choose between their faith and their job," he told committee members.

Opponents warned that setting aside school time for collective religious activity can be coercive in a government setting where attendance is compulsory. The ACLU, civil‑liberties and public‑education groups said existing law already protects voluntary student prayer and that a new, state‑mandated framework could create disputes and litigation and place school districts at fiscal and legal risk. Witnesses asked how districts would prevent perceived pressure to join in, and whether teachers or staff could be placed in a position of encouraging students to participate.

The bill’s sponsor said the legislation protects parental rights and includes an explicit opt‑out and revocation process; she also said the state would provide a model consent form and legal defense if districts adopt a compliant policy. Committee members pressed on implementation details, including the length of any period, the mechanics of parental notice and whether the period would be counted as instructional time; the bill language as discussed forbids replacing or supplanting instructional courses.

Committee action: after invited and public testimony the committee voted to report SB 11 to the full Senate; the roll call recorded in the hearing transcript resulted in the bill being reported favorably (committee roll call recorded in the hearing record).

Why it matters: supporters framed SB 11 as restoring and protecting students’ and staff’s free‑exercise rights; opponents said it risks coercion, places schools in the middle of religious disputes, and could prompt litigation. The bill now goes to the full Senate for further consideration.