FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2026
Contact:
Andrew Freeman, [email protected]
Rabbi David Segal, [email protected]
Dana Stein (RAC-Texas), [email protected]
David Vassallo, [email protected]
CAIR-TX, [email protected]
AUSTIN, Texas – Faith leaders from several religions, joined by families and educators, came together Monday outside the State Board of Education meeting to hold a funeral mourning the loss of religious freedom in public schools.
The demonstration was in response to the start of this week’s SBOE meeting, where members will be voting on a Bible-infused reading list and new social studies standards for the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS.
Parents and educators have repeatedly criticized the proposed curriculum for pushing a Western-centric framing of history that promotes one religion while virtually ignoring all others.
Christian pastors, Jewish Rabbis and representatives from the Islamic and Sikh faiths, performed funeral rites from their respective faiths as parents, educators and students delivered eulogies. Hundreds of children from congregations across Texas also participated by offering prayers of blessing for our public schools and making flowers to lay at the grave.
The funeral was organized by BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty), the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism – Texas (RAC-TX), and Texas Impact. In addition, this demonstration was supported by partners at the Council on American-Islamic Relations – Texas (CAIR-TX), Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT-TX), the Sikh Coalition, and Texas Freedom Network.
Why a funeral? Funerals are a sacred tradition led by faith communities and nonreligious communities around the world. Traditions vary across these communities, the commitment to mourn and bear witness to the cycle of life and death unites us all. In this way, the interfaith funeral service modeled the inclusive world that we are fighting for and building towards.
Though in some ways hyperbolic, the funeral also pointed to the very real pain and lived realities of Texans from all faiths and none. The required reading list and social studies TEKS infringes on the religious freedom of our Texas families and educators by selectively centering the voices of evangelical Christians and limiting (and in some portions, revising) history to promote American exceptionalism while excluding the voices, history, and rich contributions of Black, indigenous, and multifaith communities.
The State Board of Education is inflicting real pain on children, parents, and teachers – taking away their freedom of conscience and religious liberty,” said Rabbi David Segal, policy counsel for Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC). “As the board mandates Protestant Christian texts – and Protestant Christian interpretations of other religious texts – in reading lists and social studies curriculum, it is eliminating the voices, history, and rich contributions of many of our neighbors. This symbolic funeral allowed us to mourn together and remind all Texans what is being taken away from us: our right to think, worship, and believe as our consciences dictate.”
“The reading list allows the state to shift schools from sites of education to religious indoctrination,” said RAC-TX Field Organizer Blake Ziegler. “The disproportionate focus on Protestant Christian religious texts challenges religious freedom. The only non-Protestant religious text is a Jewish passage that teaches the Jews’ sins caused the destruction of a holy site. It’s taught alongside Holocaust literature, which implies Jews are also responsible for our genocide. That’s unacceptable and contributes to antisemitism. RAC-TX won’t allow our sacred texts to legitimize Christian nationalism or endanger our communities.”
“Texas Impact’s acknowledgement of the Bible’s importance and history is the exact reason we do not support the State Board of Education’s required reading list,” said Texas Impact policy advocate Grace Bonilla. “Religious texts are not tools to be weaponized by the state but rather resources anchoring one’s personal faith journey with guidance by trusted faith leaders and family.”
“Conversations that were once meant for the home and places of worship are being pushed into the classroom, forcing educators to teach from the Bible, regardless of their own beliefs. In doing so, the government is pushing parents out and inserting itself into a role it was never meant to fill. And our children are being forced to listen,” said Felicia Martin, executive director of the Texas Freedom Network. “We came together as people of faith and no faith because we believe in religious freedom for all. We came together because we believe in education for all.”
“No compulsion in religion is a fundamental Islamic rule. Quran repeats over and over that true belief is in the heart. How can you force hearts to believe? As we mourn the death of religious freedom in Texas public schools, we remember her virtues, honor her legacy, and commit ourselves to carrying it forward,” said Shaimaa Zayan, an American Muslim civil rights advocate and operations manager with CAIR-Austin. “Religious freedom was beautiful, inside and out. Despite her age and wounds, she was the foundation of our students’ unity, dignity, and well-being. She protected them from coercion, confusion, and religion-based bullying. She was loved by students and parents of every faith and by those of no faith. She was respected in our courtrooms and cherished in the most thoughtful debates.”
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About Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC)
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC) is a 90-year-old religiously based organization working to defend faith freedom for all and protect the institutional separation of church and state in the historic Baptist tradition.
About Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-TX)
For more than six decades, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-TX) has worked to educate, inspire and mobilize the Reform Jewish community to advocate for social justice. We mobilize around federal, state, provincial and local legislation on more than 70 pressing socioeconomic issues, including gun violence prevention, immigration, reproductive rights and criminal justice reform.
About Texas Impact
Texas Impact equips faith leaders and their congregations with the information, opportunities, and outreach tools to educate their communities and engage with lawmakers on pressing public policy issues.
About Texas Freedom Network
The Texas Freedom Network is a grassroots organization of religious and community leaders and young Texans building an informed and effective movement for equality and social justice.
About Council on American-Islamic Relations of Texas
The Council on American-Islamic Relations of Texas, the state’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is a leading advocate in protecting civil rights, enhancing understanding of Islam, promoting justice, and empowering American Muslims.
