Texas Board of Education gives final approval to Bible-infused reading list

Bible passages will be taught in Texas public schools, the State Board of Education decided on Friday.

The Republican-majority board voted 9-5 in favor of a required reading list that includes Bible stories but no representation of other religions, wrapping up a monthslong battle.

Roughly 5.5 million children are enrolled in Texas public schools, and the new standards would affect students for years to come.

Education board members continued tweaking the reading list right up to Friday's vote after months of input from experts and the public and debate among themselves.

On Friday, board members decided to stagger implementation of the reading list: elementary school students will see the new standards in the 2030-31 school year, sixth graders in the 2031-32 school year, seventh and eighth graders in the 2032-33 school year, and high school students in the 2033-34 school year.

This week's proceedings continued an existential debate for Texas, where conservative have consistently pushed for more Christianity in schools and emphasized its role in American values. Hundreds traveled to Austin from across the state to testify both for and against the changes in front of the board, with public testimony and debate stretching late into the night. While defenders of the new list pointed to Christianity's centrality in American history, critics say the reading list blurs the line between church and state.

Teaching about religion vs. promoting it

The new required reading list, mandated by the Texas Legislature in 2023, has over a dozen Bible passages or stories, with at least one biblical text in every grade except kindergarten. In first grade, students will read Noah's Ark by Peter Thiel, and in later grades, excerpts from the books of Luke, Matthew and Genesis.

The list does not include the central texts of any other religions, prompting critics to say the required reading is promoting Christianity, violating the First Amendment. Educators and parents warned that non-Christian students could feel excluded.

Joshua Fixler, a rabbi from Houston, told the board on Monday it must not blur the line between teaching about religion and promoting it.

Supporters argued that the list accurately reflects American "Judeo-Christian" values, and that the biblical texts are historically significant. North Texas board member Brandon Hall, R-Aledo, said the Bible is emphasized in a manner proportional to Christian contributions to American society.

"There are other faiths that are represented," Hall said Monday, "but they've had a minimal impact, especially in our founding and our culture and laws leading up to this point."

During over eight hours of public testimony, several people pointed out that few, if any, Hispanic or female authors are on the list. State Rep. Salman Bhojani, D-Euless, said the list's lack of diversity in authors makes it less representative of Texas' population.

Board member LJ Francis, R-Corpus Christi, dismissed the issue of author diversity, saying children don't care about the color of an author's skin.

On Friday, Francis successfully moved to add a passage from the Book of Jonah for first graders at the expense of two other texts.

Rebecca Bell-Metereau, D-San Marcos, said the story is "horrific" and would instill a fear of nature in children that young.

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