During their monthly meeting Jan. 19, the QISD board conducted a first reading of Senate Bill 11. The bill allows school boards to require districts to provide students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a period of prayer/the reading of a religious text.

“I think the idea of the legislators was to promote a certain religion and a certain idea, in a certain space; (but) they did that kind of without… asking schools if they need it,” said Mason.

According to the new bill, schools would have to completely separate any reading of any religious text, including but not limited to the Bible, in a closed room where no one passing by can hear it. All who wish to participate would also have to have a signed consent form, and, due to the bill, no religious text can be read over the intercom. It also does not limit what texts can be read, and does not specify that any adult has to be in the room.

Mason suggested taking no action to approve the bill.

“I say that because this does not remove a student’s right to pray, this does not remove our employees’ right to pray, it does not remove their right to read their Bible at any time they wish,” said Mason. “It simply forces our hand, as a public entity, to open our schools to more things than we can control.”

The board confirmed that they do not have to adopt the resolution. They will vote regarding the resolution at their February meeting.

The high school brought in two different students for a joint showcase; the first was pair Wesley Irwin and Cole Ochoa, who showed their UIL Short Film Contest entry, to the audience’s great entertainment. The short film was 7 minutes long, and was written, directed, and filmed by the pair. It was entitled “Detective Mize and the Case of the Bulldog.” The short film was, as Ochoa pointed out, a community effort, involving Quitman Mayor Randy Dunn, Honor Coffee Co., High School Principal Jeffery Tittle, and more.

The other student showcase was student Jessica Van Vleet, who played two complex pieces for the board on her alto saxophone. Van Vleet recently received a place as 11th chair in the regional band.

The board also voted on a maximum price to pay for all bond projects. The maximum price was based on bids from 123 vendors, evaluated by construction manager-at-risk Jackson Construction, and brought to the board for approval. The board voted to take the alternate option, which includes a synthetic turf field for the baseball field and a new two-story scoring booth with storage. The final price is $25,322,090 – nearly $2M under budget.

The board also voted to give Mason a 10% pay increase effective Jan. 1.

The Top Dog Award went to the Quitman Educational Fund. Pledges were given by elementary students Reagan Riojas and Lorenzo Flores.