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HARLINGEN — The Harlingen and San Benito school district boards of trustees are rejecting the state Legislature’s option for school prayer, arguing they’ve been giving students time for prayer during the school day.

In 2025, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 11, calling on Texas school boards to consider adopting a policy requiring districts to offer students and employees opportunities to participate in periods of prayer, Bible readings and other religious texts on school days, basing student participation on parental consent.

On Tuesday, the Harlingen school board unanimously voted to reject the bill’s option.

“Harlingen CISD remains committed to respecting religious liberty, safeguarding voluntary participation and upholding a respectful learning environment for all students,” officials said in a statement. “By continuing our current practices, we uphold students’ rights while avoiding the added supervision, administrative oversight and compliance requirements a district-run program would create, which could pull time and resources away from instruction.”

Meanwhile, board President Dr. Nolan Perez stood by the district’s “strong track record of respecting families and protecting student rights.”

“We believe the best approach is to continue supporting voluntary, student-initiated prayer and expression of faith without restricting it to one set time and one set place,” he said in a statement.

During her career with the school district, Superintendent Veronica Kortan said she’s “witnessed first-hand the respectful and meaningful ways our students choose to express their faith, from gathering at the ‘Prayer at the Pole’ to leading organizations like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Hawks for Christ, Cards for Christ and other student-led programs.”

”We support these pathways because they are student-led and voluntary, driven by their own passion and personal choice,” she said in a statement. “We will continue to ensure that our schools remain spaces of connection, where every student feels welcome and supported.”

On Wednesday, the San Benito school board unanimously voted against Senate Bill 11’s option, with board President Ariel Cruz-Vela vowing to “continue to protect students’ constitutional rights by allowing voluntary prayer, prohibit coercion, and we will focus district resources on instruction and student support.”

During the meeting, board member Crystal Hernandez motioned against adopting Senate Bill 11’s option.

“Since our students are already protected by law to practice religious freedom, and they have the opportunity to pray and gather on campus, and due to the burden of the logistics of SB 11, which would require our staff to gather consent forms from each student while keeping track of which student does or doesn’t have consent to participate, I motioned not to adopt the bill,” she said in an interview.

In casting his vote, board member Orlando Lopez said he was “honoring our students’ federal right to prayer.”

“They have the right to prayer in their groups,” he said in an interview. “It’s their option.”

While supporters of Senate Bill 11 argue the legislation bolsters religious freedom, opponents are concerned it blurs the lines between church and state in public education, warning students choosing against participation could face peer pressure.

Across Texas, more than 160 faith leaders have signed an open letter, spearheaded by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, urging school boards not to adopt the bill’s option.

“Students who do not opt in might be bullied or ostracized and students may feel pressure to opt in to gain favor and time with teachers or coaches,” the letter states. “State-sponsored prayer time will also cause division among students based on their religious beliefs.”

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