Trustees debate SB 11 prayer resolution; board leader urges keeping current practice

The board discussed a resolution related to SB 11 and whether to change district practice to permit structured, employee-led prayer in school. Dr. Hawkins urged the board to keep the current approach, saying the moment-of-silence structure already preserves students’ ability to pray without employee-led, structured prayer.

“Structuring prayer time in school would do more harm than good because we already got a moment of silence that's already structured in the day for kids to pray if they so choose,” Dr. Hawkins said. He added that students are free to pray before, after and during noninstructional times and that employee-led prayer could cross lines of appropriate school role. He said a resolution on page 126 is endorsed by pastors but argued the district’s current practices have worked without complaints to his office.

Other trustees asked how the resolution interacts with students’ rights to practice their faith and whether displays or clothing that express faith are permitted so long as they do not disrupt instruction. The board did not take final action on the resolution at the special meeting; it remains listed for consideration at the regular meeting.