In December, Frisco ISD administrators sat at a table with members of the Islamic Center of Frisco eating Mediterranean food and conversing. Imams from the ICF and the Islamic Center of Irving explained the foundations of Islam and the challenges Muslim students face in educational environments. FISD administrators in turn explained the challenges the district faces as a whole.

Three months later, the district received a letter from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office that called into question a prayer room at Liberty High School, which had been operating since 2009. The letter states that the prayer room seems to be dedicated only to Muslim students and stresses that it should be open to students of all faiths. District officials have assured that the prayer room is open to all students.

The prayer room “is open to Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists; anyone that wants to go in there can do so, and they do utilize the room,” said Chris Moore, FISD’s executive director of communications and community relations.

FISD has added approximately 3,000 new students to its enrollment  each year for the past few years. With that growth comes an increasingly diverse student population, said Charis Hunt, human resources director and the head of FISD’s Diversity Task Force.

FISD does not track the religious demographics of its students, but it tracks the ethnic breakdown of its population. The second highest ethnicity in the district behind White students is Asian at 20.9 percent of the student population. FISD students also speak a combined total of 70 different languages other than English.

Hunt said much of FISD’s growth began in 2000, with many of the students coming from families who have never lived in the district, which has created a unique scenario.

“Unlike a lot of communities that have existed for long, long periods of time where you have people who have watched the community turnover and change, this community is essentially very new in comparison to other communities,” she said. “Your next-door neighbor may not have any more of a history with Frisco than you do, but they come with their own beliefs and values; they come with their own background.”

Accommodating diversity

When it comes to addressing the needs of students with different religious and cultural backgrounds, FISD will often allow the creation of student groups or make other accommodations based on what students say they would like to have offered, Hunt said. The prayer room at Liberty High School, for example, was designated after students asked for a place to pray during the school day, Moore said.

“It’s not uncommon for students, especially at the high school level, to ask for or request the opportunity to have a student organization that’s reflective of something that they value,” Hunt said.

Some clubs represented at FISD high schools include the Muslim Student Association, the Catholic Student Association and the Jewish Student Union.

Each campus is like its own community, and the principals are tasked with getting to know the makeup of their community, Hunt said.

To do this, principals may visit the places of worship near their schools or invite key community members to visit with them, Hunt said.

“This is no different than when our district leaders went to visit” the ICF, she said. “That’s an example of what our campus principals do already to get to know what it is that’s expected of their students.”

According to the First Amendment Center, public schools are generally free to accommodate any reasonable religious needs of a student, whether that is excusing a student from school for religious holidays or allowing a student to express his or her religious views in a class assignment. Schools are not allowed to impose or promote any particular religious views; and though students are allowed to pray in school, teachers may not join students in prayer or pray in the presence of students.

IFC board member Saba Ilyas said FISD has been diligent to work with students of different faiths and denominations.

“Frisco ISD is becoming more cooperative, and they are bending over backward to accommodate students,” she said.

Hunt said the school district wants to know what the needs are of each student so administrators can work to address those needs.

“Even though our hands may be tied in some areas, there may be some ways that we can work together to make your specific situation work for you,” she said.