By Trendsetter Tribune 
Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD) is pushing back after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter questioning whether district facilities were being offered to host the 2026 Houston Islamic Games.
In a statement released Wednesday, CFISD said it is not hosting the event and does not currently have any facility use agreements in place for the 2026–2027 school year.
The response came after Abbott sent a letter dated Jan. 21 claiming it had come to his attention that Bridgeland High School intended to provide public school facilities for the games, which are scheduled for October 2026. Abbott’s letter also cited claims that the event would be sponsored by CAIR New Jersey, an affiliate of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Abbott referenced his prior designation of “the Muslim Brotherhood and its successor organization CAIR” as foreign terrorist organizations under Texas law and pointed to statutes that prohibit government entities from contracting with such organizations. He ordered CFISD to preserve all records related to the event and demanded confirmation within seven days that any negotiations had been terminated, warning that failure to comply could lead to intervention by the Texas Education Agency and referral to the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
CFISD said it never received the governor’s letter directly and instead learned of it through a press release, calling the approach “a disappointing gesture instead of an earnest attempt to obtain facts.”
The district emphasized that it is not hosting the 2026 Houston Islamic Games and that no facility reservations for the 2026–2027 school year are currently allowed under district policy. CFISD noted that outside organizations cannot reserve facilities for the following school year until Aug. 1.
CFISD explained that it allows limited non-school use of facilities under its GKD (LOCAL) policy, provided the use does not interfere with district operations. According to the district, community use includes evening and weekend access for meetings, youth sports, and religious services. The district said 15 churches of different denominations currently use CFISD facilities weekly and that the policy does not discriminate based on religion or viewpoint.
In its statement, CFISD cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1993 decision in Lamb’s Chapel v. Center Moriches School District, which held that when public school facilities are opened for community use, access must be granted on neutral terms regardless of religious viewpoint, as long as the activity is not school-sponsored.
The district also confirmed it previously entered into a facility use agreement with the Islamic Games of North America for an event held in September 2025. However, CFISD said it has never contracted with CAIR New Jersey and is not aware of any affiliation between CAIR NJ and the Islamic Games of North America during that prior event.
CFISD said it is aware of state laws prohibiting contracts with organizations designated as foreign terrorist organizations and stated that it has fully complied with those statutes. The district added that it will continue to follow all applicable state and federal laws, including those prohibiting discrimination.
No changes to CFISD’s facility use policies were announced as part of the district’s response.