AG Paxton Urges Districts to Allow Prayer under New Law

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday (Sept. 2, 2025) urged (via this announcement) all Texas schools to implement dedicated time for prayer and the reading of scripture, following the Sept. 1, 2025, effective date of SB11/regular session.

The Lord’s Prayer

Paxton said a good start would be for students in districts implementing the provision to start by reciting the Lord’s Prayer during the designated school day periods.

“In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up,” Paxton’s statement says, adding:

“Twisted, radical liberals want to erase Truth, dismantle the solid foundation that America’s success and strength were built upon, and erode the moral fabric of our society. Our nation was founded on the rock of Biblical Truth, and I will not stand by while the far-left attempts to push our country into the sinking sand.”

SB11 Requirements

SB 11 allows school boards to adopt policies setting aside time for voluntary prayer and the reading of the Bible or other religious texts. School boards must take a record vote on whether to adopt a policy to implement these periods no later than six months after September 1, 2025.

Student participation in these periods requires parental consent.

SB11 further directs the state attorney general’s office to defend any school district or charter school that adopts such a policy. The attorney general is also empowered to recommend best practices for implementation.

The Texas Tribune has more here.