Texas Moves to Require Bible Stories in Public School Reading Lists

Texas public schools may soon require students to read specific Bible excerpts alongside other classic texts, a step that would affect 5.5 million children from kindergarten through high school starting in 2030. The proposal has drawn immediate legal and cultural scrutiny because it would mark the first statewide mandate of its kind.

The Texas State Board of Education is scheduled to take a final vote on Friday. The list includes picture-book versions of Noah’s Ark, David and Goliath, and Daniel and the Lion’s Den for younger grades. Fourth-graders would read New Testament passages about Jesus; middle-school students would encounter excerpts from the Sermon on the Mount and the Book of Lamentations paired with Holocaust material; high-school students would study the parable of the prodigal son, portions of Job, and the story of Adam and Eve. The selections rely primarily on the King James Bible and recent evangelical translations.

The board’s action follows a 2023 law, HB1605, that requires at least one literary work per grade level from an approved list of roughly 200 texts. The same year Texas became the largest state to order the Ten Commandments displayed in every classroom, a policy later upheld by a federal appeals court. Supporters argue the Bible passages reflect the nation’s founding traditions. Critics, including the Texas Freedom Network and PEN America, contend the mandate elevates one religion over others and risks violating the Establishment Clause.

Board members split 9-5 along party lines on preliminary approval, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. Antero Garcia of the National Council of Teachers of English said he knows of no other state that has imposed a comparable required list. Frank Strong, co-founder of Texas Freedom to Read, noted the absence of texts from other religious traditions. If the final vote passes, Texas would become the first state to embed mandated religious excerpts in its official curriculum.