US EditionAG Ken Paxton urges Texas schools to allow prayer in classrooms under new law
Texas law permits daily prayer time in public schools; Attorney General Paxton recommends the Lord's Prayer as a model, with parental consent required and no impact on instructional time.
- Following Senate Bill 11's enactment, Paxton urged Texas public schools to allow voluntary prayer, encouraging students to recite the Lord's Prayer after the law took effect on September 1, 2025.
- Earlier this year, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 10 requiring Ten Commandments displays, while Senate Bill 11, authored by State Sen. Mayes Middleton , mandates school boards to vote within six months on prayer policies as part of Texas Republicans' push for more religious expression.
- The attorney general's office is required to provide legal representation to districts or charter schools implementing prayer policies, while under SB11 participation is voluntary, needs parental consent, and cannot replace instructional time.
- Critics quickly argued the laws promote state-sponsored Christianity, and Rachel Laser said `Our Constitution's promise of church-state separation means that students and their families ̶ not politicians ̶ get to decide when and how public school children engage with religion.`
- Supporters point to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 Kennedy v. Bremerton decision and a federal judge's recent striking of a Ten Commandments posting law; Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing and directing compliance where injunctions do not apply.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Paxton Urges Students to Recite Lord’s Prayer in Schools
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is encouraging public school students to recite the Lord's Prayer during time set aside under a new state law on religion in schools, marking the latest move by Republican leaders to test the boundaries of church-state separation in education. "With Senate Bill 11, Texas classrooms have the opportunity to bring back prayer and reflection," Paxton said in a statement, The Texas Tribune reported Tuesday. "I encour…
Texas Attorney General Tells Schools to Embrace Prayer in Wake of New Bill, Provides Specific Text
One day after a new law supporting prayer in school took effect, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged schools to implement it and suggested the Lord’s Prayer as an example. […] The post Texas Attorney General Tells Schools to Embrace Prayer in Wake of New Bill, Provides Specific Text appeared first on The Western Journal.
'10 Commandments for thee but not for me': GOP senator mocks Texas' MAGA attorney general
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has called on school boards to start the legal process that could bring prayer — and specifically one particular Christian prayer — back into classrooms.Paxton issued a statement Tuesday urging school officials across Texas to begin offering students time for prayer and scripture readings, following the enactment of Senate Bill 11 on Monday.In a post on the social platform X, he shared his statement and wrote, “…
Texas AG Ken Paxton calls for prayer time in schools
(NewsNation) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is encouraging schools in his state "to implement dedicated time for prayer and the reading of scripture," according to a Sept. 2 press release. The announcement follows the recent enactment of Senate Bill 11 in Texas on Sept. 1, allowing "school boards to adopt policies setting aside time for voluntary prayer and the reading of the Bible or other religious texts," according to the release. The bi…
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