Texas has voted to make Bible stories compulsory reading for every public school student, in a move that has reignited a fierce debate over religion in education.
The Republican controlled Texas State Board of Education approved the measure by a vote of nine to five, with one Republican joining Democrats in opposing the plan. The new reading requirements will apply to the state’s five million public school students from 2030.
The curriculum includes biblical passages such as the story of Adam and Eve, God’s encounter with Moses through the burning bush in Exodus, teachings about Jesus in the New Testament and the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
Supporters argue that an understanding of Judeo Christian traditions is essential to learning about the foundations of the United States. Republican board member Brandon Hall welcomed the decision, saying the Bible was returning to Texas classrooms for the first time in six decades.
The Bible passages form part of a wider compulsory reading list that also features literary classics including Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Students will also study Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s I’ve Been to the Mountaintop speech and Margaret Thatcher’s tribute to former President Ronald Reagan.
The decision has drawn strong criticism from education leaders and civil liberties groups, who argue the curriculum gives Christianity special status while overlooking other faiths and cultures.
Felicia Martin, executive director of the Texas Freedom Network, said the reading list places Christianity above other religions and presents a narrow view of history that fails to reflect the contributions of Black, Brown, Indigenous and other communities.
Teachers have also voiced concerns over the size of the compulsory reading list and what they see as a loss of classroom independence. Clare Haefner of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association said educators fear they will have less freedom to decide which texts are most suitable for their students.
The approval is the latest step in a wider conservative effort to increase the role of Christianity in Texas schools. Last year the state became the largest in the United States to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms, with a federal appeals court later upholding the law.
President Donald Trump welcomed the latest decision, saying religion had returned to American schools in a stronger position than at any time in recent decades. He also pointed to new federal guidance aimed at protecting the right to pray in public schools.
