The Texas State Board of Education voted 9-5 on Friday to adopt revised K-12 English language arts standards that include required readings from the Bible.
The draft text for recommended literary works listed “Lamentations 3 (Book of Lamentations, Chapter 3), “David and Goliath (Book of 1 Samuel, Chapter 17),” “Jonah and the Whale (Book of Jonah),” “The Shepherd’s Psalm (Book of Psalms, Chapter 23),” “The Tower of Babel (Book of Genesis, Chapter 11 Verses 1-9,” as well as passages from Ecclesiastes and Job.
The standards, adopted under a 2023 state law requiring grade-by-grade literary works lists, also include Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Night by Elie Wiesel and George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, R.I., alongside a broader list of classic works.
The Texas Classroom Teachers Association stated that the proposed reading list was reduced by about 60% before the final vote, although the Bible passages remained. The standards will take effect in the 2030-31 school year.
Critics argued the standards blur the line between religion and public education. The Freedom From Religion Foundation said the list compels students to read “a curated selection of Bible passages and Christian parables.”
“A mandatory public school reading list should never function as a Bible lesson,” Annie Laurie Gaylor, the foundation’s co-president, stated.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America stated that the vote reflects an erosion of the separation between church and state, “a critical safeguard that protects all of our freedoms.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott welcomed the board’s approval of “Bible stories as required reading in public schools.” State law, however, allows parents to remove their children from instruction involving a required literary work that conflicts with their religious or moral beliefs by submitting written notice to the teacher.
