Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a statewide investigation into multiple Independent School Districts to determine whether they are complying with state laws requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools and board action regarding prayer time.
According to the attorney general’s office, the investigation will examine whether districts are displaying donated copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms as required by Senate Bill 10 and whether school boards have voted on implementing designated prayer time under Senate Bill 11.
“I will always fight for students’ fundamental right to pray in our schools and work to ensure that Texas kids are able to learn from the Ten Commandments daily,” Paxton said in a statement. “Texas schools districts must comply with Texas law by displaying the Ten Commandments and taking a school board vote regarding the implementation of prayer time in schools. I will never stop defending our students’ religious freedom and the moral foundation of our nation.”
SB 10 was approved during the Texas Legislature’s 89th session and took effect September 1, 2025. The law requires public schools to display donated Ten Commandments posters or framed copies that meet specific standards.
SB 11, which also took effect last year, requires school boards to vote on whether campuses will establish a designated time for prayer and the reading of the Bible or other religious texts.
As part of the investigation, the Office of the Attorney General said districts have been asked to provide documentation showing whether their boards conducted votes related to SB 11. The requests also seek records tied to district policies concerning the Ten Commandments and whether schools are displaying them in accordance with SB 10.
The districts named in the investigation include Alamo Heights, North East, Austin, Cypress-Fairbanks, Lackland, Lake Travis, Fort Bend, Houston, Dripping Springs, Plano, Northside, Conroe, Galveston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Wichita Falls, McAllen, Amarillo, El Paso, Corpus Christi, United, Texarkana, Victoria, Waco, Abilene, San Angelo, Brownsville and Beaumont.
The attorney general’s office noted that several of the districts were previously involved in litigation challenging SB 10. That case concluded after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the law’s constitutionality, allowing it to remain in effect statewide.
Paxton has also publicly encouraged school districts to restore prayer in schools following the enactment of SB 11.
