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BASTROP — Bastrop Independent School District trustees last month voted against a policy that would allow a daily period for prayer and reading religious texts.
The proposal stemmed from Senate Bill 11, approved last year, which required every school board in the state to hold a recorded vote on the policy by March 1. During the school board’s Feb. 17 meeting, Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Eberly recommended the board decline adopting the resolution, as Bastrop ISD already has “well-established protections for students and staff.”
“Bastrop ISD respects and honors the rich religious heritage of our nation and community, which is reflected in the policies the district has adopted to protect the religious freedom of its students and staff,” Eberly said.
According to the bill, participation in the prayer period would be voluntary, and parents must opt for their child to attend by signing a consent form. The period also could not interfere with instruction time.
Prior to the vote, public speakers urged the board to vote no. Ellen Tanner, a parent of a ninth grader at Colorado River Collegiate Academy said the policy would change the school environment.
“The bill appears to be an attempt to solve a nonexistent prayer rights problem,” Tanner said. “Seeing Christianity embraced and reflected in this community is not an issue for Christians living in Bastrop.”
Student Bailey Calderon, a junior who said she is Catholic, also voiced opposition to the board.
“Even with participation technically optional, the moment a school schedules a daily religious period, it sends a message about what is normal,” Calderon said. “It creates social pressure, it creates division and it risks making students who don’t share that religion feel like outsiders.”
The board’s vote means Bastrop ISD will not implement a daily prayer or religious text reading period.
