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McAllen ISD trustees decline to establish daily prayer time after broad community opposition
Summary
After more than a dozen public commenters — including parents, students, educators and religious leaders — urged the district to reject Texas Senate Bill 11, the McAllen ISD Board of Trustees voted 6-0 to decline establishing a daily school prayer/reading period.
McAllen ISD trustees voted 6-0 to decline establishing a districtwide daily prayer and religious-reading period under Texas Senate Bill 11 after a sustained public-comment period in which parents, students, teachers and faith leaders urged the board to reject the measure.
Hundreds of pages of public-comment speakers argued the bill would single out students and could turn teachers into de facto religious leaders. Hershel Patel, a parent of McAllen ISD students, told the board he feared the measure would create visible divisions among students and weaken the district's commitment to inclusion. "We never ever want a child to go hungry," Patel said while addressing nutrition concerns earlier in the comment period; regarding…
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