The majority-Republican Texas State Board of Education is expected to vote Friday on a measure that would establish Biblical children's stories and Bible verses as required reading for more than 5 million public school students in its K-12 curriculum, positioning the state at the forefront of a national conservative effort to incorporate foundational Western texts into American classrooms.
The new list of required titles would include a picture-book adaptation of the David and Goliath story for elementary students and Bible passages about Adam and Eve for older students, among other references. If passed, second-grade students would be taught the story, "ROAR! – Daniel and the Lion's Den." As students become more advanced in reading level, they would be introduced to passages directly from the Bible. Sixth-grade students would learn "The Shepherd's Psalm" from the Book of Psalms alongside religious writings from George Washington and poems by Langston Hughes and Robert Frost.
Curriculum Overhaul Targets History Education
At the same meeting, the school board will take up a vote to rewrite the state's social studies curriculum, focusing more on Texas and US history and deemphasizing some teachings about global history and cultures. The change would eliminate a sixth grade "World Cultures" course and significantly expand lessons on communism. The proposals, which would go into effect in 2030, have sharply divided teachers, parents and community members, hundreds of whom appeared before the school board this week to voice their concern and enthusiasm.
Supporters argue the Bible should be studied as an essential literary text that can help students understand Western history and the founding of the US. One policy group has celebrated it as the "final battle" in an effort to purge Texas schools of lessons on race and history that they say divides students and criticizes America's founders. Susan Perez, founder of a Christian parent advocacy group, Citizens for Education Reform, said at a school board meeting Monday, "We don't have to incorporate every religious belief in our history or in our literary works, because our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian values." Perez pointed out Christian references in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, which was signed in "the Year of Our Lord" 1787.
Constitutional and Parental Rights Concerns
Those who oppose the changes say the mandatory reading list favors Christianity over other religions and violates the constitutionally protected separation between church and state. The teachings may also infringe on parents' ability to lead their children's religious education, they say, particularly in non-Christian households. Kimmie Fink, the mother of an active-duty military family stationed in Texas, told the board, "I would like to believe that my children's constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom rights will remain intact wherever we are stationed." She added, "Is this not the case in Texas, a state that champions parents' rights? In Texas, parents have the fundamental legal right to direct the moral and religious upbringing of their children without state interference. The proposed literary works trample on this right."
Board member Tiffany Clark, a Christian and Democrat who represents parts of Dallas-Forth Worth, has vocally opposed the proposed curriculum. Clark said she and some of her Christian constituents believe "Bible lessons should be taught on Sundays." She said, "Not all of us believe the same," noting that Christian denominations reference different translations of the Bible and at times differ in their interpretations. The proposed curriculum mandates specific Bible translations, including the King James Bible, which is widely used by Protestant and Evangelical churches but is avoided by the Roman Catholic Church.
Testing and Implementation Challenges
Though parents would have the option to opt their children out of some of the required teachings, Clark said, missing lessons could impact students' test scores. Because the texts would be part of the curriculum, they could be included on standardized testing, potentially impacting the school district's test record if students do not perform well.
Some proponents of the curriculum changes dispute arguments that children will be explicitly taught religion, saying the Biblical passages and stories will be taught in the context of world history. Former public school administrator Nancy Barker told the board, "They are being used as literary and historical content rather than religious instruction. The Bible references will provide students with the background knowledge you will need to understand the books, the speeches, poems and important documents that have shaped our civilization."
The state's education code already requires K-12 schools to teach "religious literature, including the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on history and literature." In recent years, Texas leaders have broadly eliminated studies of racial and cultural diversity while expanding the schools' abilities to introduce Christianity to students. In 2023, the state became the first to allow chaplains to counsel students, and the following year approved a measure that offered more funding to schools that teach an optional Bible-infused elementary school curriculum.
About a third of adults in Texas identify as non-Christian, according to Pew Research Center surveys from 2023-2024. Rabbi Joshua Fixler with Congregation Emanu El in Houston said teachers may be put in a position to teach religious texts they are not familiar or comfortable with. He said, "This list is full of Christian texts that are inappropriate for public school classrooms. As a rabbi and a parent of Jewish kids, I think it is vital that this board make a distinction between teaching about religion and teaching religion. This list will force teachers to cross that line."
If put into effect, the mandated literature curriculum could be a first of its kind, according to Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University education professor. Garcia told The Associated Press he doesn't know of any other state with a similar list. Educators at the district and school levels are generally able to choose what texts their students will read, he said.
Why This Matters:
This vote represents a significant shift in how public education balances parental authority, religious freedom, and academic standards. Supporters view the measure as restoring essential historical and literary context that helps students understand America's founding principles and Western civilization. The curriculum's emphasis on Judeo-Christian texts reflects the historical reality that these documents influenced the nation's founders and shaped American institutions. However, the proposal raises practical questions about implementation costs, teacher training requirements, and potential legal challenges that could burden school districts with litigation expenses. The opt-out provision attempts to preserve parental rights, but concerns about standardized testing impacts highlight how government mandates can inadvertently limit family choice. With about a third of Texas adults identifying as non-Christian, the measure tests whether public schools can incorporate religious texts as historical literature without crossing constitutional boundaries or alienating families who prefer to direct their children's religious education privately.