Dallas ISD has voted to reject Senate Bill 11, the state law that allows school boards to establish a daily period of prayer and Bible reading on every campus. Only about 15 districts statewide opted in before the March 1 deadline. Trustee Lance Currie, who is Christian, argued that the constitution and First Amendment already protect students' rights to personal prayer and discussion of their faith should not be allowed to occur. A coalition of over 160 faith leaders had urged rejection. The bill's author, state Sen. Mayes Middleton, believed that when prayer was removed from schools, "things started to go downhill in America."