CFISD responds to letter from Gov. Abbott
Jan. 21, 2026—On Jan. 21, CFISD was made aware of a letter from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott regarding the New Jersey Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR NJ) sponsorship of the 2026 Houston Islamic Games inferring that CFISD is "hosting" this event.
CFISD has not received the letter from the governor; however, the district was notified of it via a press release – a disappointing gesture instead of an earnest attempt to obtain facts.
CFISD is not "hosting" the 2026 Houston Islamic Games. The school district has a policy, GKD (LOCAL), which allows limited non-school use of our district facilities by the community when the use does not conflict with district use. In 2024-25, the Facilities Use Department reported almost 13,000 collective hours of use of facilities by the community.
It is under GKD (LOCAL) that our community accesses our buildings in the evenings and on weekends for meeting spaces, utilizes our fields for local youth sports leagues, and uses our cafeterias and gyms for local church services. CFISD currently has 15 different churches of different denominations using our facilities weekly. GKD (LOCAL) does not distinguish between religions in our facility use guidelines, nor does the district distinguish between religious and non-religious viewpoints.
The U.S. Supreme Court determined in Lamb’s Chapel v. Center Moriches School District (1993) that if public entities open a facility for community use, the opportunity for use must be made available for all regardless of viewpoint or religion. The Supreme Court has also stated that allowing use of facilities by a religious group does not create Establishment Clause issues if the use is not school-sponsored, the district does not direct the activities during use and is allowed in accordance with neutrally applied criteria to which all participants are subject.
CFISD has no facility use agreements in place for the 2026-2027 school year for outside users of campus facilities, as community groups are not permitted to reserve space for the following school year until Aug. 1. The district previously reached a facility use agreement with the Islamic Games of North America for an event held in September 2025. The district has never contracted with CAIR NJ, nor is it aware of any affiliation between the Islamic Games of North America and CAIR NJ during its prior rental of facilities to the Islamic Games of North America. 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 statute.
CFISD will continue to follow the law. This includes state law, but also the laws that prohibit discrimination.
CFISD responds to letter from Gov. Abbott
Jan. 21, 2026—On Jan. 21, CFISD was made aware of a letter from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott regarding the New Jersey Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR NJ) sponsorship of the 2026 Houston Islamic Games inferring that CFISD is "hosting" this event.
CFISD has not received the letter from the governor; however, the district was notified of it via a press release – a disappointing gesture instead of an earnest attempt to obtain facts.
CFISD is not "hosting" the 2026 Houston Islamic Games. The school district has a policy, GKD (LOCAL), which allows limited non-school use of our district facilities by the community when the use does not conflict with district use. In 2024-25, the Facilities Use Department reported almost 13,000 collective hours of use of facilities by the community.
It is under GKD (LOCAL) that our community accesses our buildings in the evenings and on weekends for meeting spaces, utilizes our fields for local youth sports leagues, and uses our cafeterias and gyms for local church services. CFISD currently has 15 different churches of different denominations using our facilities weekly. GKD (LOCAL) does not distinguish between religions in our facility use guidelines, nor does the district distinguish between religious and non-religious viewpoints.
The U.S. Supreme Court determined in Lamb’s Chapel v. Center Moriches School District (1993) that if public entities open a facility for community use, the opportunity for use must be made available for all regardless of viewpoint or religion. The Supreme Court has also stated that allowing use of facilities by a religious group does not create Establishment Clause issues if the use is not school-sponsored, the district does not direct the activities during use and is allowed in accordance with neutrally applied criteria to which all participants are subject.
CFISD has no facility use agreements in place for the 2026-2027 school year for outside users of campus facilities, as community groups are not permitted to reserve space for the following school year until Aug. 1. The district previously reached a facility use agreement with the Islamic Games of North America for an event held in September 2025. The district has never contracted with CAIR NJ, nor is it aware of any affiliation between the Islamic Games of North America and CAIR NJ during its prior rental of facilities to the Islamic Games of North America. 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 statute.
CFISD will continue to follow the law. This includes state law, but also the laws that prohibit discrimination.