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Texas Approves Required Bible Readings for Public School Students
New state reading list includes Bible passages, classic literature, and social studies standards supporters say restore America’s historical foundations.
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
AUSTIN, Texas (Worthy News) – The Texas State Board of Education has approved a new required reading list that will place selected Bible passages before millions of public school students, marking one of the most significant moves in decades to restore biblical literacy to American classrooms.
The Republican-controlled board approved the reading list Friday in a 9-5-1 vote, according to local reports, with the curriculum set to take effect in the 2030-31 school year. The list will apply to more than 5 million public school students across Texas, a state that educates roughly one in ten public school students in the United States.
The required selections include well-known biblical accounts such as David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Jonah, Noah’s Ark, and passages from the New Testament. Students will also read major works of secular literature, including E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Supporters say the decision recognizes the Bible’s undeniable influence on American history, Western civilization, literature, law, virtue, liberty, and civic responsibility. They argue that students cannot fully understand the nation’s founding, its speeches, its cultural references, or much of its classic literature without basic biblical knowledge.
“We need to focus on what our nation was founded on and not apologize for that,” Susan Perez, founder of Citizens for Education Reform, told the board ahead of the vote, according to the Associated Press. “It is the truth and we should not be afraid.”
Mandy Drogin, a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said biblical passages and other timeless works have shaped generations of American thinkers, leaders, and citizens, while continuing to offer lessons about human nature, virtue, liberty, and civic responsibility.
The decision also comes as the board approved new K-8 social studies standards in a separate vote. Texas Values praised the move as “a huge victory” for standards that celebrate American history, promote civic virtue, and protect religious liberty.
Mary Elizabeth Castle, director of government relations for Texas Values, said the board had “saved 250 years of history” as America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary. She said the revised standards would help students understand the American story and become informed citizens.
Critics, however, argue the required Bible readings violate the separation of church and state and could favor Christianity over other religions in public classrooms. Some teachers also objected to the state limiting local control over reading selections, though educators may still assign additional books during the school year.
The Texas vote is part of a wider conservative effort to reintroduce faith, civic virtue, and historical memory into public education. Texas has already allowed public schools to hire chaplains as counselors, approved an optional Bible-infused curriculum, and passed a requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms.
For supporters, the issue is not forced religion but restored literacy. They say generations of students have been asked to understand America’s founding, its laws, its moral vocabulary, and its literature while being denied the biblical framework that shaped much of it.
For critics, the concern is whether public schools can teach biblical material academically without crossing the line into religious instruction.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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