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Whitehouse ISD board declines separate SB 11 policy, cites existing law
Summary
The board voted 5–0 on Feb. 9 to adopt a resolution stating it will not implement a separate policy under Senate Bill 11, concluding current state law and district policy already provide opportunities for voluntary religious expression.
The Whitehouse Independent School District Board of Trustees adopted a resolution on Feb. 9 addressing Senate Bill 11, which requires school boards to record a vote by March 1, 2026 on whether to adopt a policy requiring campuses to provide students and employees an opportunity for daily prayer or reading of religious texts.
The resolution — approved by motion of Trustee Joe Conflitti, seconded by Trustee Nick Moss, and recorded 5–0 with two trustees absent — states that "existing law and district policy already ensure that students and staff may voluntarily engage in prayer, reading of religious texts, and other forms of religious expression without interference," and it "declines to adopt a separate SB 11 policy at this time, finding that current law and policy sufficiently provide the required opportunities for religious expression." The resolution directs the superintendent to document the board's decision as required by law.
The text of the resolution cites Education Code provisions and district policy references, including Education Code 25.901 and 25.151, and notes existing local policy that allows student religious groups access to facilities consistent with other noncurricular groups. The board's action fulfills the requirement to take a recorded vote on SB 11 before the March 1, 2026 deadline and leaves existing policy unchanged for now.
