Overview
- The Texas State Board of Education voted 9–5 on Friday to adopt a roughly 200-title mandatory reading list for public schools that explicitly includes selected Bible passages alongside essays and classic literature.
- The board ordered a phased introduction starting in 2030 that places picture-book Bible stories like David and Goliath and Daniel in the lion’s den in early grades and adds New Testament passages by fourth grade.
- State rules will still allow parents to excuse children from specific lessons for religious or moral reasons and permit teachers to assign additional books during the school year.
- Teachers, parents and advocacy groups criticized the list for privileging Christian texts and excluding other religious traditions, with groups such as Texas Freedom to Read warning the move may violate the constitutional separation of church and state.
- The decision continues a recent Texas trend toward more Christian content in schools, it follows prior measures such as Ten Commandments postings and optional biblical curricula, and it increases the likelihood of legal challenges and wider national debate.