Boerne ISD trustees on Monday signed off on exploring a daily, voluntary period for prayer or the reading of religious texts in district schools, putting the district among a small number of Texas systems taking that route. The 6-1 vote sets in motion local rulemaking under a new state law and could have the practice in place as early as the 2026-27 school year.
Board Vote and Local Details
The Boerne school board voted 6-1 to move forward with a districtwide resolution that instructs administrators to draft an implementation policy under Senate Bill 11. Trustee Dallas Pipes cast the lone no vote and pressed colleagues on how the district would handle consent forms, available space, and separation so that students who do not participate are not within earshot. Trustee Garrett Wilson argued the measure broadens religious freedom and quoted Proverbs, saying “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” while Trustee Rich Sena noted the statute’s reference to “religious text” could include the Torah as well, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
What SB 11 Requires
The 2025 law directs school boards to take a recorded vote, and boards had until March 1 to do so, and if they adopt the resolution, they must create local policies that spell out timing, staffing and supervision. It requires signed parental or employee consent for participation, bans using public-address systems for the observance, and specifies that the period cannot replace instructional time or occur within earshot of non-consenting students. The bill also gives the attorney general a role in drafting model consent forms and allows the state to defend districts that adopt the policy, according to the SB 11 bill text.
How Other Districts Reacted
Across Texas, most districts passed on setting aside the extra time, leaving Boerne an outlier among roughly 1,200 districts and charter networks statewide. Advocates monitoring board decisions estimate that fewer than 20 districts have adopted the optional period, while larger urban systems cited logistics and inclusivity concerns in declining to do so, according to The Texas Tribune.
Local Reaction and Next Steps
Superintendent Kristin Craft told trustees the district will “learn together” with other systems as staff work through the operational details, and she emphasized that any policy could be modified or rolled back if it proves unworkable. Trustees said the process gives them room to shape a policy that includes safeguards for students of different faiths or none at all, even as they acknowledged practical hurdles around staffing and securing private space on every campus. Coverage in the Boerne Star notes that trustees plan to return with draft rules and updates as the policy takes shape.
Legal Questions
Civil-liberties organizations and some faith leaders have warned that the state law could place pressure on students and families and invite First Amendment challenges, pointing out that schools already allow private, voluntary prayer and religious clubs. Critics have also raised concerns about the consent-and-waiver structure and the potential administrative burden of securing private space and tracking permissions. Those objections are detailed by the Texas Freedom Network.
What Comes Next
With the March 1 recorded-vote deadline now past, Boerne ISD’s remaining steps are procedural: administrators will draft implementing regulations and bring them back to the board for review and adoption. Trustees have said they can revisit or repeal the policy later if it creates unmanageable burdens, and the district has indicated that a voluntary prayer period could be in place when the 2026-27 school year begins, according to reporting in the Boerne Star.
