Levelland ISD decided not to implement Senate Bill 11, a new Texas law that allows local districts a designated time period during the school day for prayer or religious activities.
The bill was introduced to expand on religious expression in public schools and is backed by First Amendment rights to give a specific time to indulge in religious freedom.
Dr. Donald Heseman, Levelland ISD superintendent, said that the district decided not to implement Senate Bill 11, because they believe students already have opportunities to express their religion throughout the school day. The school would have to set aside a period specifically for students to read the Bible or other religious texts.
Although he believes the bill is well-intentioned, Heseman said that prayer periods could create complications the district does not currently face.
“I respect the heart behind the bill. I love the heart behind it,” Heseman said. “But it was made by people who aren’t educators.”
Along with Heseman seeing the bill as a non-fit, he believes it would be inconvenient for adults who would need to take responsibility over it.
“An adult would have to be in charge of each one of those,” Heseman said.
School districts that choose to implement the policy would need to create procedures for supervision, parental consent, and student participation. The legislation requires written permission from a parent or guardian for a student to participate.
On the flip side, districts would need to know what to do for students who choose not to participate.
To Heseman, there are too many uncertainties for the bill to be passed, so Levelland ISD will keep the system the way it is.
Heseman mentioned that students already have the opportunity to practice their faith as long as they meet their academic responsibilities. The idea of creating a formal, designated time could limit that.
Another concern involved the procedural aspects of the bill. The law requires parental permission slips for students to opt in or out.
“There are many points where permission slips have to be signed before kids can opt in or out,” Heseman said. “There are so many rabbit holes this could go down, whereas currently, we have safeguards in place to ensure that our kids are safe.” Heseman also expressed concern about how broadly the term “religious texts” could be interpreted and how districts would fairly and consistently manage participation across different faiths and denominations. He said those logistical questions contributed to the district’s decision not to adopt the optional prayer period.
“Define religion,” Heseman said. “Under this, it says other religious texts. Are we going to have to create a space? If we were to pass this, would we have had to create a space for Christian kids, for Muslim kids, for Buddhist kids, for Hindu kids?”
While Levelland ISD chose not to pass the resolution to establish a prayer space, it’s up to districts across the state to decide for their own school. Districts that opt in must follow the legislation's guidelines, while districts that opt out continue under their existing policies that already allow voluntary religious expression during non-instructional time.
As of late February 2026, numerous school districts across Texas, have voted against implementing the daily, voluntary prayer period required by Senate Bill 11, with many citing that current policies already protect religious expression, with many still in the process of deciding as the March 1 deadline approaches.