Texas Senator Mayes Middleton (R) has introduced Senate Bill 11, which aims to protect a students’ ability to pray and read religious texts in public schools.
The Texas senator highlighted the bill, which requires parental consent for students to opt into a designated period of prayer and Bible reading, as a top priority of Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R).
State Senator Middleton defended the measure as a necessary move to restore religious expression in schools, arguing that the remove of prayer from public education in the 1960s has resulted in a negative impact on the school environment.
In a statement, state Senator Middleton commented that “Our schools are not God-free zones.”
Today, I filed Senate Bill 11 to protect the freedom to pray in school, a priority of Lt. Governor @DanPatrick. Our schools are not God-free zones. This bill restores prayer in our public schools, which is also a top priority of President Trump. This legislation builds on the… pic.twitter.com/vZ3YEyZeRa
— Mayes Middleton (@mayes_middleton) February 10, 2025
We are a state and nation built on ‘In God We Trust,’” he affirmed.
“You have to ask: are our schools better or worse off since prayer was taken out in the 1960s?” Middleton questioned. “Litigious atheists are no longer going to get to decide for everyone else if students and educators exercise their religious liberties during school hours.”
The Texas senator also noted that recent Supreme Court rulings, including those decided by Trump-appointed justices, have reaffirmed protections for religious expression in schools. Because of this, state Senator Middleton thanked President Donald Trump (R) and Lt. Gov. Patrick for their commitment to making prayer in schools a legislative priority.
“Thank you President Trump and Lt. Governor Patrick for making prayer in public schools a top priority,” he said in his statement. “There is no such thing as ‘separation of church and state’ in our Constitution, and recent Supreme Court decisions by President Trump’s appointees reaffirmed this. The goal of this bill is to promote freedom of religion for teachers and students in the place where they spend most of their time – school.”
Senate Bill 11 is sure to cause tension in the Texas Senate as Republicans also share conflicting viewpoints on expanding school choice, another top priority for Lt. Governor Patrick. Texas Rep. David Spiller (R) has introduced companion legislation in House Bill 1425.
