Friday vote could bring mandatory Bible reading to Texas classrooms

The Texas education board is poised to vote on a controversial mandatory reading list for its more than five million public school students, a proposal that includes extensive Bible passages and marks a significant escalation in conservative efforts to embed Christian teachings within U.S. classrooms.

This unprecedented move, which would see literary classics like Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” taught alongside New Testament parables, is being closely watched by education experts nationwide.

If approved by the Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education, the curriculum would be implemented in 2030. Texas, home to roughly one in ten of the nation’s public school students, has become a battleground for conservatives seeking to integrate more religion into education.

The state already permits public schools to employ chaplains for student counseling, mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, and has sanctioned an optional Bible-infused curriculum.

For months, the initiative has drawn sharp criticism, not only for requiring biblical texts but also for the state dictating specific books, a responsibility typically entrusted to teachers. While educators would retain the ability to assign additional books, the core list would be mandatory.

Critics argue the proposed list severely lacks diversity, dangerously blurs the constitutional separation of church and state, and leaves minimal autonomy for teachers and students in selecting reading material.

Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate for the progressive Texas Freedom Network, voiced concerns: “Kids of all faith backgrounds and no faith are served by Texas schools and they should all feel welcome in Texas schools.

But this is sending the message to children that one and only one religious text — a Christian one — is worthy of making this required reading list.”

Conversely, some have lauded the prospect of mandated Christian religious readings in public schools. Brooke Mazel, a retiree from Lubbock, urged the board to adopt biblical materials, stating her children and grandchildren grew up with “strong faith and family values.”

Mazel added, “America should celebrate our 250 years that started as a nation of unwavering Christian values.” The board is also scheduled to vote on a social studies curriculum that intertwines Bible stories with American history.

A 2023 state law mandated that a list of at least one literary work be provided for each grade level. However, the new proposal, featuring approximately 200 texts including Bible passages, essays, and books, far exceeds this requirement.

Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University professor, noted he is unaware of any other state with a mandatory reading list that incorporates religious texts, emphasizing that text selection is usually a district or school-level decision.

Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, concurred, calling the move “unique” to Texas.

The proposed list includes picture-book stories for elementary students, such as “David and Goliath” and “Daniel and the Lion’s Den.” By fourth grade, students would encounter passages about Jesus from the New Testament.

Middle schoolers would be expected to read several passages concerning Jesus, including excerpts from his most famous sermon and another instructing followers to disregard earthly anxieties in pursuit of the kingdom of God.

High school students would be required to read specific Bible passages as supplementary material for literary works by authors such as Dickens and Jane Austen, including “Pride and Prejudice.”

Meehan characterized such stringent requirements as “almost de facto censorship,” drawing parallels to book bans. She asserted, “It certainly leans ideologically more conservative.

It excludes a lot of diverse voices from the reading list.” The list even mandates that students reading Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” also study a eulogy for President Ronald Reagan, penned by staunch conservative and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Frank Strong, an English and journalism teacher and co-founder of the student advocacy group Texas Freedom to Read, stressed the importance of diversity, not only for students to see themselves reflected in literature but also as a means to understand different cultures.

While many books on the list are uncontroversial, Mendoza questioned the necessity of mandating titles like “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” for kindergartners, asking, “Can’t our kindergarten teachers be trusted to choose board books?”