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Legislation giving public school students the right to express religious viewpoints in school, introduced by District 26 State Rep. Charlie Howard, passed the Texas House by a 133-10 vote on Monday.

“It is a win-win for students and school officials alike, both of whom are now uncertain how to navigate what has become muddied constitutional waters,” Howard said earlier this year. “Teachers will now be able to rest easy knowing that they are both protected and bound by law in allowing students of all faiths constitutionally guaranteed religious speech.”

House Bill 3678, “relating to voluntary student-initiated expression of religious viewpoints in public schools,” would write into Texas law that school districts “treat student expression of religious viewpoints in the same manner as the district treats student expression of secular or other viewpoints, without discrimination.”

Howard’s bill also calls on school districts to “establish a limited public forum for student speakers at school events in which students are to publicly speak.”

School districts would be required to implement a local policy over structure of the public forums and other provisions of the bill, and could voluntarily adopt a “model policy” that automatically would bring them into compliance with Howard’s bill.

Under that model policy, spelled out in the bill, certain students would be given the opportunity to “introduce school events such as sports events, assemblies, opening announcements/greetings for the school day, pep rallies” and other events.

But only students in the “highest two grade levels” in a particular school would be eligible to speak at the public forums, unless they also hold “positions of honor” such as being student council officers, class officers or “captains of the football team, and other students holding positions of honor as the district may dictate.”

“Freedom of religion should not be mistaken for freedom from religion and I want to thank the more than 100 members of the Texas House who voted to give religious expression in our schools the same protection as secular expression,” said Gov. Rick Perry, who supported the legislation.

“It is a win-win for students and school officials alike, both of whom are now uncertain how to navigate what has become muddied constitutional waters,” Howard said earlier this year. “Teachers will now be able to rest easy knowing that they are both protected and bound by law in allowing students of all faiths constitutionally guaranteed religious speech.”

House Bill 3678, “relating to voluntary student-initiated expression of religious viewpoints in public schools,” would write into Texas law that school districts “treat student expression of religious viewpoints in the same manner as the district treats student expression of secular or other viewpoints, without discrimination.”