Texas Bill Aims to Protect School Employees’ Right to Pray and Express Religious Beliefs

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that supported a high school football coach’s right to pray on the field after games could play a key role in the passage of a bill aimed at providing similar protections for school employees in Texas.
On Monday, the Texas State Senate Committee on State Affairs heard testimony regarding SB 965, a bill introduced by Republican State Senator Tan Parker from Flower Mound. The bill seeks to protect the rights of employees in school districts and charter schools to engage in religious speech or prayer during their work hours.
Under the proposed law, these protections would remain in place unless a violation is deemed necessary to further a “compelling state interest” and is “narrowly tailored using the least restrictive means” to achieve that interest.
In introducing SB 965, Parker referenced the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which upheld the right of Joe Kennedy, a high school football coach in Washington state, to pray on the field after games, even after being fired for doing so.
“Based on the Kennedy decision, Senate Bill 965 affirms the right of school employees to engage in personal religious speech or prayer while on the job,” Parker explained. “As the Kennedy ruling established, any infringement would be subject to strict scrutiny.”
Donald Gardner, executive director of the Texas Faith & Freedom Coalition, also testified in support of the bill, pointing to the historical commitment of Baptists to religious liberty in the U.S.
“They never intended for there to be freedom from religion,” Gardner said, referring to the founders’ rejection of state-imposed religion. “They were coming from a system where the government dictated which religion was acceptable… They would not have supported that. If this bill required religious practices or expression, it would be a problem. It would contradict the freedoms the founders wanted to establish. This bill simply protects that very freedom.”
SB 965 is currently under review in committee after Monday’s hearing.
Additionally, last month, Republican State Senator Mayes Middleton from Galveston introduced SB 11, a bill that would allow public school districts and charter schools to adopt policies requiring prayer and the reading of the Bible or other religious texts on each campus. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has identified SB 11 as a priority for the 2025 legislative session.