Bible stories become required reading in Texas public schools

The Texas State Board of Education on June 26 approved a mandatory reading list for public schools that includes select stories from the Bible.

The measure includes a list of texts that would be required reading during each grade level in all the state's public schools, and includes Bible stories and verses in grades ranging from elementary to high school. The move has kicked off a polarizing debate over religious freedom and religion in schools.

There were over 5.5 million students enrolled in public schools in the state during the 2024-25 school year. Those students already view the Ten Commandments listed in each classroom after a state law requiring them was upheld by a federal appeals court.

The State Board of Education, which has a Republican majority, approved the proposed reading lists in a 9-5 vote on June 26.

These are the Bible stories that could be on Texas reading lists

The reading lists came as a result of a 2023 Texas law requiring the Board of Education to develop vocabulary and reading lists for each grade. Texas is the first state to have such a mandatory reading list, The Associated Press and Education Week have reported.

The lists include standard literary texts commonly read in public schools, such as "Johnny Appleseed" in second grade, "Charlotte's Web" in third grade, "The Phantom Tollbooth" in fifth grade and "Great Expectations" in high school. There are also works on the nation's Founding Fathers and other historical figures. It also includes Bible verses or adapted Bible stories in many grade levels, with a required version of the Bible from which the passages are to be read.

These are some of the required religious texts:

Elementary School

• First grade: "Noah's Ark" by Peter Spier
• Second grade: "David and Goliath," an excerpt from "The Children’s Book of Heroes" edited by William J. Bennett
• Fourth grade: Book of Luke, Chapter 14, Verses 7-11 ("The Necessity of Humility") from the New International Reader’s Version: New Testament
• Fifth grade: Stories about Moses from the Book of Exodus, Chapter 3 ("The Burning Bush") and the Book of Exodus, Chapter 14 ("The Parting of the Red Sea") from the New International Reader’s Version: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament

Middle School

• Sixth grade: Book of Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 25-34 ("Do Not Be Anxious") from the English Standard Version: New Testament
• Seventh grade: Book of Psalms, Chapter 23 ("The Shepherd's Psalm") from the King James Version: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
• Seventh grade: Book of Matthew, Chapter 5, Verses 1-12 ("The Eight Beatitudes") from the King James Version: New Testament
• Eighth grade: Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3 ("To Everything There is a Season") from the King James Version: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
• Eighth grade: Book of Lamentations, Chapter 3 from the Tanakh: Jewish Publication Society 1917 edition

High School

• Book of Luke, Chapter 15, Verses 11-32 ("Parable of the Prodigal Son") from the English Standard Translation: New Testament
• Book of Job, Chapters 1-7,Verses 11, 14, 19, 28, 38-42 from the New International Reader’s Version: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
• Book of Genesis, Chapters 2 and 3 ("Adam and Eve") from the New International Reader’s Version: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
• Book of 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13 ("The Definition of Love") from the English Standard Translation: New Testament

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg