Schools In Texas Routinely Violate Constitutional Protections For Religious Freedom

By Dotty Griffith Public Education Director This week we released a report documenting that school districts all over the state routinely ignore the Constitution when it comes to religious freedom in public schools. Examples are detailed in, "At the Mercy of the Majority: Attacks on Religious Freedom in Texas Public Schools in the Decade after Santa Fe v. Doe.” Moreover, Texans who complain publicly are often subjected to ridicule and threats. Check out our coverage: Fox News 26 Houston KUHF FM Houston Texas News Service According to the report, “The ACLU of Texas receives dozens of complaints every year from students, parents, and teachers across Texas reporting that local public schools violate students’ religious freedom in a myriad of ways: prohibiting students from wearing religious attire, injecting sectarian religious views into classroom instruction, and even endorsing and requiring student prayer. “Yet most of the complainants are afraid of speaking out, even with the Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court on their side. They fear if they go public with their concerns, their children will face retaliation at school. They fear social stigma in their towns. They fear loss of their jobs. They fear violence,” the report concluded. Schools named in the report include: Alief ISD p. 22 Athens ISD p. 46 Brazosport ISD p. 32 Brownsville ISD p. 21 Celina ISD p. 26, 32 Cleburne ISD p. 32, 42 Clint ISD p. 20 Cypress-Fairbanks ISD p. 30, 32 Dallas ISD p. 21, 44 Dayton ISD p. 28, 32 Deer Park ISD p. 28 Ector County ISD p. 32, 35 El Paso ISD p. 25 Grand Prairie ISD p. 25 Fort Bend ISD p. 22 Fredericksburg ISD p. 32, 42 Honda ISD p. 26 Humble ISD p. 26, 28 Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD p. 45 Irving ISD p. 32, 44 Joshua ISD p. 32 King HS, Corpus Christi ISD p. 29 Liberty-Eylau ISD p. 41 Lubbock ISD p. 35 Lufkin ISD p. 32, 43 Magnolia ISD p. 25, 27, 32 Nacogdoches ISD p. 32, 40 Navasota ISD p. 41-42 North Lamar ISD p. 46 Panhandle ISD p. 28, 32 Rockwall ISD p. 41 Round Rock ISD p. 31 Socorro ISD p. 25, 47 Somerset ISD p. 20 Spring ISD p. 20 Texas City ISD p. 22 Willis ISD p. 32, 35 Wylie ISD p. 32 Ysleta ISD p. 45