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Lumberton ISD board votes to oppose S.B. 11, cites existing district policy
Summary
The board adopted a resolution opposing Senate Bill 11-style requirements, saying district policy and existing law already protect students' voluntary prayer and periods of silence; the minutes include the full resolution text with statutory citations.
Trustee Kenny Burkhalter moved that the Lumberton ISD Board adopt a resolution opposing a district-level resolution as contemplated by S.B. 11 (89th Legislature), arguing the measure is unnecessary because district policy already provides for voluntary student prayer and periods of silence. Dr. Chad Hammett seconded the motion; the board recorded a favorable A-6 vote when first recorded and the full resolution text appears in the minutes.
The minutes include the adopted resolution language, which references the First Amendment, Article 1, § 6 of the Texas Constitution, the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 110.003), and Texas Education Code provisions including § 25.901 and § 25.082. The resolution states the board "votes against a resolution for our district as contemplated by S.B. 11, 89th Legislature, codified at Texas Education Code § 25.0823, as it is unnecessary and redundant to existing Lumberton ISD policies." The resolution text is entered into the official minutes as part of the record.
The public record shows a prior public comment on Senate Bill 11 from Zane Bledsoe during the public forum, but the minutes do not summarize the content of that comment beyond noting its subject. The board did not include additional legal opinions beyond the resolution text in the minutes; the resolution itself lists the legal authorities the board relied upon.
