A Texas education panel has approved plans to make Bible stories a required part of the curriculum for public school students across the state. The measure, approved by the Republican-controlled State Board of Education, will affect over five million students. The new requirements are set to take effect in 2030.
The approved reading list includes passages from the Bible, such as the stories of Adam and Eve and the Exodus account of God speaking to Moses through a burning bush. Alongside these biblical texts, classic English literature, including Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations," will also be mandatory reading.
Critics of the decision have raised concerns that the new reading requirements may infringe upon religious freedoms and blur the lines of separation between church and state. The State Board of Education previously mandated in 2023 that classrooms in Texas must display the Ten Commandments, which are considered a set of biblical laws by many Christians.