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Tyler ISD board declines to adopt Senate Bill 11 prayer-period resolution
Summary
After discussion, trustees voted not to adopt a district resolution to implement a state law authorizing a campus period for prayer or reading religious text, citing concerns about added administrative burden and existing opportunities for student prayer.
The Tyler ISD Board of Trustees voted not to adopt a resolution implementing Senate Bill 11, a state law (referenced in the meeting as codified in the education code) that requires a board record vote on whether to authorize a campus-level period for prayer or the reading of religious text.
Administration read an "administrative consideration" about the bill and its intent; several trustees said they support prayer but view the law as an unnecessary administrative burden that would be hard to implement locally. Trustee (speaker 4) moved that the board not adopt the resolution, and after discussion and a second the motion carried.
Trustees said the district already allows prayer opportunities and that faith leaders in the community had advised letting houses of worship handle routine spiritual programming. "Let us handle educating kids and let the church handle the spiritual things," one trustee said, reflecting feedback from local church leaders.
The board therefore declined to adopt the policy at this time. Administration framed the choice as an operational one — noting the bill’s intent while warning of execution demands in statute — and the board left open the possibility of revisiting the question in response to community input.
