Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office and Cy-Fair ISD.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Jan. 28 that Cy-Fair ISD must hand over all communications involving the Islamic Games of North America and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, as well as its affiliated chapters.
Paxton launched the investigation following direction from Gov. Greg Abbott, who last month called on the district to cut ties with the Islamic Games sporting event. CFISD officials clarified in a response to the governor the district does not currently have any formal agreements in place with the Islamic Games or CAIR.
The attorney general's office submitted a public information request to CFISD Jan. 28 for communications, documents and contracts involving the entities. The district's legal services department said they will provide the requested information as available, according to an email exchange sent to Community Impact Feb. 4.
In a Feb. 3 email to a staff member from the attorney general's office, CFISD General Counsel Marney Collins Sims said district staff have only communicated with the organizers of the Islamic Games of North America, not CAIR or its chapters.
Published Jan. 22
In a Jan. 21 news release, Gov. Greg Abbott called for Cy-Fair ISD to terminate any plans to allow the Islamic Games—a Muslim sports competition—to use Bridgeland High School facilities for its 2026 Houston event.
Abbott in the release said the event has connections to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR—an organization he declared a “foreign terrorist organization” on Nov. 18.
CFISD officials said local policy grants community members access to limited “non-school use” of district facilities, and allowing the event’s organizers to use CFISD facilities would be fully compliant with the law. However, CFISD officials also clarified there was no active agreement in place to be terminated, as facility reservations for the new school year are not able to be made until Aug. 1.
What we know
In a letter addressed to CFISD board President Julie Hinaman and Superintendent Doug Killian, Abbott said the district must cancel all agreements for the event within seven days or face an investigation by the Texas Education Agency.
The district’s statement clarifies CFISD is not “hosting” the Houston Islamic Games as Abbott wrote in his letter. Instead, the district’s policy—called GKD (LOCAL)—allows community groups, including the Islamic Games of North America, to reserve facilities at the start of each school year.
“GKD (LOCAL) does not distinguish between religions in our facility use guidelines, nor does the district distinguish between religious and non-religious viewpoints,” the district’s statement reads.
In the 2024-25 academic year, the district reported nearly 13,000 collective hours of community use of CFISD facilities, per the statement. This includes 15 churches of different denominations that use district facilities weekly, CFISD officials said.
The specifics
The Islamic Games is a sports competition designed to promote youth development, unity among the Muslim community and the excellence of athletes, per the event’s website. This year’s games will be held in several cities across North America, including Houston, Dallas and Chicago.
The release from the governor states the event sponsors include the New Jersey Chapter of CAIR, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. However, a Jan. 21 release from Islamic Games of North America states CAIR-New Jersey has never been a sponsor of the games. CFISD officials said the district has never contracted with CAIR-New Jersey and was not previously aware of any affiliation between CAIR and the Islamic Games of North America.
Abbott declared CAIR a “foreign terrorist organization” in November and in his Jan. 21 letter to CFISD called it a “front group for Hamas.” The proclamation states any organizations or persons found promoting CAIR will be subject to “heightened penalties.”
The governor said he will direct the TEA to “immediately seize and uncover any communications district employees may have regarding CAIR” if CFISD fails to cut ties with the event within seven days. He also said legal action could be taken through the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the letter shows.
The district also cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Lamb’s Chapel v. Center Moriches School District (1993), which determined if public entities open a facility for community use, the opportunity must be made available for all, regardless of viewpoint or religion.
A quick note
According to Abbott’s letter, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD had plans to host the Dallas Islamic Games at Colleyville Heritage High School but severed the agreement as of Jan. 20 due to the governor’s November proclamation.
“CFISD is aware of the state prohibition against governmental entities entering into contracts with companies identified as foreign terrorist organizations and has fully complied with this statue,” CFISD's response states.
The bottom line
The Islamic Games of North America has not made a formal reservation of CFISD facilities for the 2026 competition, as agreements for events held during the 2026-27 school year cannot be made until Aug. 1, district officials said.
“CFISD will continue to follow the law,” the district’s statement concludes. “This includes state law, but also the laws that prohibit discrimination.”
The governor’s office has not released a public response to CFISD as of press time, but Community Impact will update this story as more information becomes available.
