Texas’ Republican-led State Board of Education on Friday approved a mandatory reading list that incorporates Bible passages, the latest move by conservative policymakers seeking a larger role for Christian teachings in public classrooms.
Board members voted 9-5, with one member abstaining, to adopt the reading requirements for more than 5 million public school students across the state.
The list features literary selections including Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations,” as well as excerpts from the New Testament.
The vote followed heated discussion among advocates and opponents and drew national attention from education experts, who say the measure appears to be the first statewide required reading list of its kind in the U.S.
The Texas State Board of Education approved a mandatory reading list for public school students that includes passages from the Bible. (News Agency-Elizabeth Heckman)
Opponents said the list elevates Christianity at the expense of religious pluralism and civil rights, while raising concerns about the constitutional boundary between church and state.
Backers countered that Judeo-Christian traditions played a central role in the country’s founding and deserve a place in classroom materials.
The new reading requirements are scheduled to begin in the 2030-31 school year for elementary students.
Mohammed Nasrullah, left, and Aziz Soomro, both of Houston, participate in an interfaith funeral-themed protest outside the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
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The board’s decision follows a series of education measures in Texas, including allowing public schools to hire chaplains to counsel students, requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and approving an optional Bible-infused curriculum.
A 2023 Texas law requires a mandatory list of at least one literary work to be taught at each grade level. The newly approved required reading list contains roughly 200 texts, including books, essays and passages from the Bible.
One critic of the decision, Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate for the progressive Texas Freedom Network, told The Associated Press that the required reading list lacked diversity and did not give teachers and students the flexibility to choose what they read.
Ruth Nasrullah, left, and Rocio Fierro-Perez, political director for the Texas Freedom Network, participate in an interfaith funeral-themed protest outside the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
“Kids of all faith backgrounds and no faith are served by Texas schools and they should all feel welcome in Texas schools,” Mendoza said.
“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,” she added.
The board was also expected to vote Friday on a new social studies curriculum that links Bible stories with American history.
