Texas Board of Education approves required reading list with Bible passages for 5 million students
Texas Board of Education voted 9-5 to approve a required reading list including Bible passages for the state's over 5 million public school students.
The Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education approved a required reading list Friday that includes passages from the Bible, marking the latest effort by conservative officials to expand Christian teachings in public schools.The Texas State Board of Education voted 9-5, with one abstention, to approve the required reading list for the state's more than 5 million public school students.The required reading list includes works such as Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" along with passages from the New Testament.
The decision came after intense debate between supporters and critics and has been closely watched by education observers, who say it appears to be the first statewide required reading list of its kind in the United States.TEXAS OFFICIALS BACK OPTIONAL SCHOOL CURRICULUM WITH BIBLICAL REFERENCES, SPARKING BACKLASHCritics argued the required reading list promotes Christianity over religious diversity and civil rights while blurring the constitutional separation of church and state.Supporters argued Judeo-Christian traditions are fundamental to the nation's founding and should be reflected in classroom instruction.
The required reading list will take effect beginning with the 2030-31 school year for elementary school students.FEDERAL COURT UPHOLDS TEXAS LAW REQUIRING TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC CLASSROOMSThe board's decision follows a series of education measures in Texas, including allowing public schools to hire chaplains to counsel students, requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and approving an optional Bible-infused curriculum.A 2023 Texas law requires a mandatory list of at least one literary work to be taught at each grade level.
The newly approved required reading list contains roughly 200 texts, including books, essays and passages from the Bible.One critic of the decision, Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate for the progressive Texas Freedom Network, told The Associated Press that the required reading list
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