AU part of diverse coalition championing religious freedom in Texas public schools

AU was part of a coalition that successfully empowered Texas families to defend the religious freedom of millions of public school students from Senate Bill 11, a state law passed in 2025 that required school districts to vote on whether to adopt periods of state-organized prayer and religious study during the school day.

The deadline to vote was March 1 and, according to reports from the Texas Tribune, nearly all 1,200 of Texas public school districts rejected Senate Bill 11. This includes many who adopted a coalition-supported alternative resolution emphasizing religious freedoms already present in public schools. As a result, millions of students in Texas are protected from coercive and divisive state-sponsored expressions of religion in schools. The coalition, composed of both religious and secular voices, empowered community leaders and school boards to reaffirm the value of religious diversity and the essential separation of religion and government in our democracy. 

“Students across Texas showed up to speak for themselves and their classmates. In places like El Paso, Bastrop, Katy, and many others, we saw students testify and share how important it is that public schools remain welcoming to people of every faith and those not observing a particular religion,” said Students Engaged in Advancing Texas Senior Policy Associate Azeemah Sadiq, a high school student in Alief Independent School District. “The decisions by these districts to reject state-organized prayer periods reaffirm that religious freedom means everyone has a seat at the table. Our schools should be spaces where diversity is respected and no student feels pressured to participate in someone else’s religious practice.”

“S.B. 11 is part of an ongoing effort to undermine public institutions, especially our schools, in favor of Christian nationalist policies that govern based on a distorted version of one religion’s teachings,” said Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Texas Field Organizer Blake Ziegler. “Reform Jews in Texas proudly stood alongside our interfaith and secular friends against this violation of religious freedom. S.B. 11 would hurt our Jewish students, excluding them from their peers instead of promoting the religious pluralism essential to our democracy.” 

“This is what democracy looks like,” said Carisa Lopez, deputy executive director of the Texas Freedom Network. “Across Texas, people of every faith — and no faith — came together to protect our shared right to practice religion freely, without the government telling our children when, how, and what to believe. We are grateful to every school board member, parent, and coalition partner who showed up to protect our public school students and their religious freedom. Together we’ll continue fighting for the Texas we all deserve.” 

The effort was organized in partnership between Americans United, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Texas, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Christians Against Christian Nationalism, American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, American Federation of Teachers-Texas, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, National Council of Jewish Women Dallas, Texas Freedom Network, Texas Impact, Pastors for Texas Children, Faith Commons, and Freedom from Religion Foundation.