TEXAS MAKES BIBLE PASSAGES REQUIRED READING FOR MILLIONS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS

The Texas state board of education has officially approved a significant shift in the public school reading curriculum. This decision will make specific passages from the Bible mandatory reading for over 5 million public school students across the state. The Republican-controlled board solidified the plan during a final vote on Friday, June 26, 2026. This move represents a major change in how religious texts interact with public education in the United States.

Implementation of this new initiative will follow a staggered rollout schedule over several years. Elementary school students will be the first to encounter the new materials when the program officially begins in 2030. The policy follows a 2023 Texas law that required education officials to designate at least one specific literary work for every grade level. The state board then expanded that mandate to recommend multiple texts, including various religious excerpts.

Under the new guidelines, students will engage with different biblical texts as they progress through middle and high school. Seventh-grade students must read excerpts from the Book of Jonah and the Book of Psalms as part of their studies. High school students will encounter a broader range of religious materials, including the Book of Genesis and the Book of Lamentations. While teachers can still assign books outside this official list, they must include these required selections.

The decision has sparked intense debate regarding the constitutional separation of church and state. Critics argue that the mandate gives unfair preference to Christianity and lacks necessary cultural diversity for a modern classroom. They point out that more than half of the public school students in Texas are Hispanic or Black. Opponents believe the curriculum focuses too heavily on older works written primarily by white male authors.

Supporters of the measure offer a different perspective on the integration of these texts. They argue that Judeo-Christian traditions played a fundamental and central role in the founding of the United States. From their view, these traditions deserve representation within the standard public school curriculum to provide historical context. Texas often influences national education policy because the state educates roughly one out of every ten public school students in the country.

This recent vote follows other religion-focused education policies previously enacted by the state. In 2025, Texas became the largest state to require that schools display the Ten Commandments in every single classroom. These legislative moves align with broader national discussions about the role of prayer and faith in public institutions. The new reading requirements ensure that religious literacy will remain a focal point of Texas education for years to come.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/26/texas-bible-required-reading-public-school