The Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education approved a required reading list Friday that includes passages from the Bible, marking the latest effort by conservative officials to expand Christian teachings in public schools.
The Texas State Board of Education voted 9-5, with one abstention, to approve the required reading list for the state’s more than 5 million public school students.
The required reading list includes works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” along with passages from the New Testament.
The decision came after intense debate between supporters and critics and has been closely watched by education observers, who say it appears to be the first statewide required reading list of its kind in the United States.
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Critics argued the required reading list promotes Christianity over religious diversity and civil rights while blurring the constitutional separation of church and state.
Supporters argued Judeo-Christian traditions are fundamental to the nation’s founding and should be reflected in classroom instruction.
The required reading list will take effect beginning with the 2030-31 school year for elementary school students.
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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.
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“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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.