** 2/17/26 Update: Fantastic news! The LHISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously against the adoption of S.B. 11. Kindness and consideration is alive and well! Thank you for supporting our cause. We appreciate every single one of you! Also, please do not pay anything. We do not require any funds for this petition to be signed or shared. I think this prompt may be a generic feature for utilizing change.org that I was not aware of.**

Growing up in school, I always imagined that my children would have an educational experience filled with inclusivity and acceptance. Our family, like many others in Liberty Hill, values diversity and believes that schools should be spaces where all children can feel a sense of belonging, regardless of their background or beliefs. That's why the proposed S.B. 11 in our school district deeply concerns us.

S.B. 11 introduces a policy that mandates an opportunity for students and employees to engage in a period of prayer and reading from religious texts each school day. While this might come from a place of good intentions, it effectively threatens the secular nature of our public schools. For families like mine, who do not adhere to any particular faith, this inherently assumes participation in religious practices, and for others, it might enforce participation in a faith different from their own. This not only challenges the religious neutrality of public education but endangers the safe and inclusive space that schools should represent.

My family, being people of color, has already faced challenges in the form of discrimination and prejudice. Implementing a prayer period could exacerbate these experiences, creating a divided school environment where religious belief becomes a point of contention and possible bullying. Schools should not be venues that deepen existing divides, but rather sanctuaries of learning and unity.

Moreover, religious activities in schools often exclude non-religious or differently religious students, making them feel unwelcome or pressured to conform. In a fast-growing community like Liberty Hill, it is vital that we honor and respect these differences rather than coercing any single path. The U.S. Constitution guarantees the separation of church and state, ensuring that no student should face religious endorsement or pressure in public schools.

We urge the Liberty Hill Independent School District to vote against S.B. 11 on Monday, February 16th. Let us strive to nurture an educational environment that respects our diversity and fosters genuine inclusion. Please join me in advocating for a school system that prioritizes understanding and acceptance over division. Sign this petition to call on our school district to vote no on Senate Bill 11.