DALLAS (AP) 鈥� Texas’ education board on Friday approved for more than 5 million public school students that includes widening conservative efforts to bring Christian teachings into U.S. classrooms.
The state-mandated list of assigned reading 鈥� which includes Charles Dickens鈥� 鈥淕reat Expectations鈥� and excerpts from the New Testament 鈥� appeared to be among the first of its kind of the nation and will take effect starting in 2030.
The State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list on a 9-5 vote following weeks of contentious debate that again put Texas at the center of wrangling over the role of religion in public schools. Last year, Texas became the largest state to require teachers in every classroom.
The board this week was also considering new social studies curriculum that draws lines between Bible stories and American history.
Beyond objections over Bible readings, the mandate drew backlash from teachers who criticized losing the ability to decide what their students will read, although they are still allowed to assign additional books during the school year.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a problem reading about David and Goliath because I believe in those stories,鈥� said Alyse Dent, a high school English teacher in the Dallas area. “But if I鈥檓 reading to one of my students 鈥� they鈥檙e Muslim or they鈥檙e atheist 鈥� I can say all day long, 鈥榃ell, we鈥檙e teaching a theme, we鈥檙e teaching symbolism,鈥� but they鈥檙e hearing, 鈥楾his is a Bible story. We鈥檙e talking about God.鈥欌��
Supporters of the changes have argued that Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation鈥檚 founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.
鈥淭hese timeless works, including biblical passages, have shaped American culture and history, and have influenced generations of thinkers, leaders, and citizens, and they continue to offer valuable lessons about human nature, virtue, liberty, and civic responsibility,” said Mandy Drogin, a senior fellow at Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank.
Texas has brought more religion into classrooms
Texas, which educates roughly 1 in 10 of the nation鈥檚 public school students, has been at the forefront of a charge by conservatives to incorporate more religion into classrooms. The state also allows to counsel students and has approved an optional .
Brooke Mazel, a retiree from Lubbock, was among a large crowd that packed a meeting of the education board this week in Austin, saying her children and grandchildren grew up with 鈥渟trong faith and family values鈥� and backed the required titles.
鈥淎merica should celebrate our 250 years that started as a nation of unwavering Christian values,鈥� Mazel said.
A passed in 2023 required a mandatory list of at least one literary work be taught in each grade level. The new list contains around 200 texts, including Bible passages, essays and books, far in excess of that requirement.
Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University professor, said he doesn鈥檛 know of any other state with a mandatory reading list that includes religious texts. Educators at the district and school level usually choose the texts their students will read, Garcia said.
Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America鈥檚 Freedom to Read program, agreed the move was 鈥渦nique鈥� to Texas.
Popular literary works are also on Texas’ required list
Picture-book stories for elementary students including 鈥淒avid and Goliath鈥� and 鈥淒aniel and the Lion鈥檚 Den鈥� are on the required reading list. By fourth grade, students will encounter passages about Jesus in the New Testament. E.B. White’s 鈥淐harlotte’s Web鈥� would be assigned to third-graders.
In middle school, students will be expected to read passages about Jesus, including his most famous sermon and another where he instructs people to cast aside earthly anxiety and seek the kingdom of God.
For high schoolers, the list requires the reading of specific Bible passages as supportive materials for literary works, including works by Dickens and Jane Austen’s 鈥淧ride and Prejudice.”
Texas law does let parents remove a child from a class or activity that conflicts with their religious or moral beliefs.
Critics say list isn’t diverse enough
The list mandates that students reading Shakespeare’s 鈥淭he Tragedy of Julius Caesar” also read a eulogy for President Ronald Reagan written by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a staunch conservative.
Chanea Bond, who teaches college and advanced high school English courses in Fort Worth, said having a state reading list can close the gap between what students learn in different areas. Although the list for high schoolers is 鈥減retty solid鈥� for a study of classics, she said, the list is 鈥渧ery old and very white.鈥�
鈥淚t is very narrow and does not represent what classrooms in Texas look like,鈥� she said. 鈥淕oing through most of high school without ever having much value put into voices that sound like yours kind of sends a message that your voices aren鈥檛 valuable.鈥�
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Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Associated Press reporter Jim Vertuno contributed to this report from Austin, Texas.
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