Fort Worth ISD rejects motion on prayer in schools

Fort Worth declines to adopt Texas resolution on school prayer

Fort Worth ISD officials voted Tuesday to reject a new policy to add designated prayer time in schools, following a state mandate. FOX 4's Amelia Jones has more.

FORT WORTH, Texas - School board members in the Fort Worth Independent School District voted Tuesday to reject a new policy that would add time for prayer in public schools.

The vote complied with a state law passed last year requiring every Texas school board to vote on the issue.

The backstory:

Senate Bill 11 was passed during last year’s legislative session.

It requires every Texas school board to vote by March 1 on whether to adopt a policy creating designated time for prayer or reading religious texts during school.

Local perspective:

The Fort Worth ISD school board voted 7-1 against accepting the motion Tuesday evening.

According to Fort Worth ISD’s school board agenda for Tuesday, the district’s administrators did not recommend the resolution, saying students are already allowed to engage in prayer during the school day. Students can also already form prayer groups and religious clubs before, during, and after school.

Fort Worth ISD school board to consider new prayer policy

The issue of prayer in schools is going before school boards across the state. Here's what we know.

The proposed new prayer policy would have required parents to sign consent forms and waive their right to sue the district over First Amendment concerns. The prayer time must also be outside of regular class time and in a location where non-participating students and staff can’t hear it.

District leaders said they fear this new policy will be hard to manage, especially considering state and federal law already protects religious practices in schools.

What they're saying:

"What issue is this law trying to remedy. Students already have voluntary right to pray and read religious literation on their own, injecting the school into this mix  will just cause difficulty and confusing," Howard Rosenthal of the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County said.

"It creates social pressure and exclusion for those who wish to opt out," said Sheri Allen, Justice Network Tarrant County.

Dig deeper:

Some North Texas school districts, like Keller ISD and Aledo ISD, have voted in favor of the new prayer policy. 

Others, such as Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, have rejected the proposal. The district has a similar policy in place like Fort Worth does.

Dallas ISD takes up the issue on Thursday.