What to know about the decision to make Bible stories required reading in Texas public schools

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) 鈥� for more than 5 million public school students in Texas.

The vote to approve the plan Friday by the Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education reflects a broader conservative effort to introduce more religion into U.S. schools. Last year, Texas to require every classroom to display the Ten Commandments.

The mandated reading list has drawn fierce opposition. Critics argue that it violates the constitutional separation of church and state, lacks diversity, and favors Christianity over other religions. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation鈥檚 founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.

Here’s what to know about the reading list and the broader fight over religion in public schools:

Republicans and Trump are pushing more religion into classrooms

President Donald Trump has pledged to protect and expand religious expression in public schools nationwide, and Texas 鈥� a red state that is home to about one in 10 of all U.S. public school students 鈥� often sets the agenda.

In 2023, Texas became to allow the hiring of chaplains to counsel students, and the following year, the board narrowly approved an for elementary schools. Last year, Republican lawmakers required public schools to display the , a measure recently upheld by a federal appeals court.

Texas has about 5.5 million public school students from kindergarten through high school. The required reading list will begin taking effect in 2030.

鈥淲e need to focus on what our nation was founded on and not apologize for that,鈥� Susan Perez, founder of Citizens for Education Reform, told the education board during testimony this week. 鈥淚t is the truth and we should not be afraid.鈥�

List requires Bible readings from elementary to high school

Picture-book stories for elementary students including 鈥淒avid and Goliath鈥� and 鈥淒aniel and the Lion鈥檚 Den鈥� are on the required reading list. By fourth grade, students will encounter passages about Jesus in the New Testament.

One proposed Bible story, a picture book about Noah鈥檚 Ark, was removed from a list of first-grade titles this week after a board member said it only had one page of text and voiced objections to descriptions of animals killed in the flood.

By middle school, students will be expected to read several passages about Jesus, including passages from his most famous sermon, and another where he instructs people to cast aside earthly anxiety and seek the kingdom of God. Another connects a reading from the Book of Lamentations and its themes of the destruction of Jerusalem with readings about the Holocaust.

In high school, students will read the parable of the prodigal son, portions of the Book of Job, and the story of Adam and Eve.

Texas may be the first state to enact a required reading list that includes Bible passages.

Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University professor, said he doesn鈥檛 know of any other state that has such a list. Educators at the district and school level usually choose what texts their students will read, Garcia said.

Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America鈥檚 Freedom to Read program, said she believes a reading list with mandatory religious texts is 鈥渦nique鈥� to Texas.

鈥淚 think there鈥檚 lots of state lists that exist that are like advised readings, suggested readings,鈥� she said.

Critics say the proposal favors Christianity over other religions

The required readings rely heavily on the King James Bible, one of the most popular translations, and more recent evangelical translations that critics argue lean too heavily on Christian interpretations of the texts.

Other critics question whether religious stories should be taught at all in schools attended by thousands of children of Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and other faiths, and others who identify as atheist or agnostic.

鈥淚 do think that it鈥檚 disturbing that there are no texts from other religious traditions that are included,鈥� said Frank Strong, an English and journalism teacher and co-founder of the student advocacy group Texas Freedom to Read.

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Stengle reported from Dallas.

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