San Angelo ISD Board Unanimously Rejects Mandatory Prayer Period Policy

SAN ANGELO, TX — The San Angelo Independent School District board of trustees voted unanimously Monday evening against adopting a policy that would have required every campus to set aside time each day for prayer and reading of religious texts.

The proposed policy stemmed from Senate Bill 11, which took effect Sept. 1, 2025, and gave Texas school districts a six-month window to vote on whether to implement the measure. 

The bill would have mandated a period for voluntary prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts, with parental consent required for students and consent forms also needed for staff who wished to participate.

Board President Dr. Taylor Kingman said the board chose not to add new regulations to protections already guaranteed by the Constitution, expressing concern about possible unintended consequences of the policy. Kingman said that longstanding practices have effectively preserved religious freedom on district campuses for generations. 

He questioned the need to alter a system that has worked well for students, teachers and parents, noting the board’s decision simply maintains the approach that has succeeded for years.

The policy, had it been approved, would have banned prayers or religious readings over public address systems, prohibited using the periods as substitutes for instructional time, and required measures to ensure non-participating students and staff were neither present nor able to hear the sessions, according to the bill text.