GRANGER ISD
State requires open vote on religious issue
GRANGER — A state requirement for elected educational leaders to publicly register their votes on prayer and religious study during campus hours is not sitting well with one Granger Independent School District official.
In addition, trustees during the Jan. 14 Granger ISD meeting heard updates from city engineer Scott Murrah about a waterline and the newest, successful bore affecting the new secondary school, which has remained shuttered until water can be piped in.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Stephen Brosch indicated he is not a fan of state Senate Bill 11, mandating a recorded vote by trustees on whether they support prayer and religious study during school hours.
“The responsibility of religious instruction lies with the students, their families and their local faith communities, not with public schools. And not directed by the state,” Brosch said.
Under state law, school districts have until March to record the vote; Granger ISD leaders said they will decide by Feb. 11.
According to school officials, confusion across Texas regarding SB 11 has many assuming the state is requiring schools to provide time for students to pray and study religious texts.
Legal experts said the law only requires school boards to decide on a policy for their district on the issue.
Detractors said SB 11 — along with a state decree to post donated Ten Commandments posters in classrooms, now under scrutiny by a federal court — blurs the line between church and state.
Brosch said the SB 11 requirement creates a perception that a “no” vote indicates a trustee is against religion, which is not necessarily the case.
“What this law has essentially done is put (our trustees) in a terrible position,” Brosch said.
He added existing state laws already protect the rights of Texas public school students to pray and read religious texts on campus without government interference.
If school districts adopt the SB 11 policy, educators are then required to track consent forms, designate non-instructional time for prayer and identify private prayer spaces.
The measure does not outline policies for pupils who choose not to pray or have religious study time.
“I strongly believe we do have a community that has a strong faith and this designation just puts a lot of burdens on us. My recommendation to you is to not allow this to happen. It’s not going to change anything that we currently do,” Brosch told trustees.
Meanwhile, the district has received “good news” the water pipeline was successfully bored under the Union Pacific Railroad and Texas 95, officials said.
“They did a pressure test, disinfection on the line. Everything passed. They’re now making the final connections to the lines they’ve already run,” Murrah said.
A fire-flow test for the new waterline was scheduled for this past week.
A test for Granger Secondary School is set for 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26.
“Hopefully, everything is good to go,” Murrah said. Brosch announced tentative plans for an open house at the secondary school 10 a.m. Feb. 11, east of the current schools on FM 971.
The next school board meeting is 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11 in the board room at 300 N. Colorado St.
