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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he wants all schools in Texas to make time for Bible reading and prayer.
“As I’ve always said and believed, we want the word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up in Texas classrooms,” Paxton told Fox News Digital in a statement Monday.
“Those who oppose this law want to erode the moral fabric of our society and dismantle the very foundation that America’s greatness was built upon,” Paxton said. “I will not stand by while the values that have always guided us are stripped away and religious freedoms are trampled, which is exactly why I’m encouraging prayer to be brought back into our classrooms.”
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In a public statement on Sept. 2, Paxton said the Bible is part of the nation’s foundation.
“In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up,” Paxton said.
“Twisted, radical liberals want to erase truth, dismantle the solid foundation that America’s success and strength were built upon, and erode the moral fabric of our society,” he added. “Our nation was founded on the rock of biblical truth, and I will not stand by while the far-left attempts to push our country into the sinking sand.”
The Texas Legislature recently passed Senate Bill 11, which lets school boards in Texas make policies to dedicate time to read the Bible and religious texts, as well as provide time for personal prayer.
“The law requires that the board of trustees for each ISD in Texas take a record vote on whether to adopt a policy to implement these periods no later than six months after September 1, 2025,” a Sept. 2 press release from Paxton’s office stated. “Student participation in these periods requires parental consent.”
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Kim Hermann, president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, told Fox News Digital that Paxton’s invitation for prayer in public schools will be welcomed by parents and students.
“Kids today are terrified to pray in school, or even say the word ‘Bible,’” Hermann said.
“We hear that all the time from students and parents,” she added. “The Biden Administration targeted religious institutions and practices for years, and that made the free expression of religion in America not free at all. This move by AG Paxton in Texas underscores how Americans should be free to pray and allowing school boards to set aside a voluntary time of prayer is a constitutional way to structure it. The Biden Administration’s targeting of the Catholic Church by the FBI just because it’s religious was a true violation of church and state.”
In remarks Monday at the Museum of the Bible for the launch of America Prays, an initiative asking Americans to set aside time every week to pray for their country, President Donald Trump said that the Department of Education would also be working to protect the right to pray in schools.
“I am pleased to announce this morning that the Department of Education will soon issue new guidance protecting the right to prayer in our public schools,” Trump said.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the ACLU of Texas for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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