Hey, so you remember that Texas law, Senate Bill 11, that passed last year? It gives public school boards and charter schools the option to set aside time for prayer and Bible readings. Well, it's getting interesting now, as a bunch of faith leaders are stepping up, telling school boards maybe that's not such a good idea. More than 160 religious leaders from all over Texas just signed an open letter. They're telling school board members and charter school governing bodies to just say no to adopting these new policies. And get this: school boards have a deadline, March 1st, to vote on whether they'll implement these rules. So, the clock is ticking. This letter wasn't just some random group; it was put together by some pretty serious religious freedom organizations. We're talking about groups like the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Christians Against Christian Nationalism, and Texas Impact. These are folks who really think about the separation of church and state and what that means for our kids. Their main point is pretty straightforward. They believe in religious instruction, absolutely. But they also believe that job belongs to students, their families, and their local churches or temples – not to public schools. They're saying the state shouldn't be organizing or directing religious practices within our education system. This really hits on the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, which basically says the government can't establish or endorse a religion. Rabbi David Segal of Houston, who's policy counsel for the Baptist Joint Committee, told us they sent the letter to all superintendents and school board members across Texas. They're also doing individual outreach, which means faith leaders are talking directly to their local school boards. That's a strong grassroots effort. Senator Mayes Middleton, who authored SB 11, hasn't commented on the letter. But Representative David Spiller, who sponsored the bill in the House, has defended it, saying it's completely voluntary. He argued that if school districts don't want to do this, they don't have to. And if they do, teachers, employees, and students can choose whether to participate. Parents have to give consent for their kids. Sounds simple enough, right? But here's where it gets complicated. Rev. Laura Mayo, a senior minister in Houston and a mother of two HISD students, points out that kids can already pray in school. They can form religious clubs. This law, she says, doesn't solve a problem; it creates new ones. She used to teach, and she brought up a really practical concern: keeping track of waivers. Imagine the headache for school staff trying to figure out which kids can participate and which can't. That alone, she argues, should make any school board pause. This isn't just about whether prayer is good or bad. It's about public policy and constitutional rights. When the state gets involved in promoting religious activity, even voluntarily, it can make students of different faiths or no faith feel excluded. It can also open the door to legal challenges, raising questions about whether schools are truly providing a neutral environment for all students. Pearland ISD has already decided not to adopt these new rules, which shows some boards are thinking hard about these issues. You can bet other districts are weighing these concerns right now, too, as that March 1st deadline approaches.