The Texas Board of Education voted Friday to approve mandatory reading lists for public school students that include passages from the Bible, continuing a push by state leaders to bring conservative and religious values into the public education system.
The Republican-controlled board passed the measure 9-5, with one member absent and not casting a vote. The required reading lists will apply to more than 5 million public school students and are set to go into effect in 2030.
This is not the first time Texas has moved to incorporate religious content into its schools. The state previously required the Ten Commandments to be posted in all public school classrooms — a mandate that was upheld by a federal appeals court earlier this year. Texas joins a number of other Republican-led states that have taken similar steps to bring Christian teachings into public education.
The move has sparked debate on both sides. Opponents argue that such decisions conflict with the Constitution’s “establishment clause,” which courts have long interpreted as maintaining a separation between government and religion. Supporters, however, contend that the measures bring back foundational Judeo-Christian teachings that they consider historically important.
The reading lists themselves cover a broad range of material, with much of it being non-religious or classical in nature. Included texts range from Aesop’s fables and Native American stories to a children’s version of Don Quixote. However, critics have pointed out that a large portion of the list consists of works written by white male authors — a concern in a state where Latino and Black students make up the majority of the student population.
Rachel Laser, who leads the advocacy organization Americans United for Separation of Church and State, released a written statement condemning the board’s action. She said the decision sought to “misuse public schools to impose one narrow set of religious beliefs and indoctrinate a new generation of Americans in the lie that America is a Christian country.”
