Texas Education Board Votes to Mandate Bible Passages in Public Schools

2026-06-28

The BareStory

The Texas State Board of Education voted 9-5-1 on Friday to approve a new required reading list for public schools that mandates the study of specific Bible passages. Under the updated curriculum, fifth-grade students will read selections from the Book of Exodus, while seventh-grade students will read the Shepherd’s Psalm. The approved literature list also features works by secular authors, including E.B. White, Shel Silverstein, Aesop, Kurt Vonnegut, and Elie Wiesel. The policy change is set to affect more than 5 million public school students across the state.

Julie Pickren, a Republican member of the education board, defended the curriculum changes. She stated that the selected readings provide students with critical insights into the moral and philosophical traditions of Western civilization, helping them understand the foundational principles of both the United States and the state of Texas.

However, the decision faced opposition during the board's hearings. Board member Evelyn Brooks argued against the list, asserting that mandating specific books is unconstitutional and strips classroom teachers of their professional autonomy. Additionally, Stanford University education professor Antero Garcia described the decision as a major reshaping of what public school children are expected to learn. Garcia noted that because the Bible is the only religious text included on the mandated list, the curriculum could potentially orient students toward Christianity, though he recognized the literary value of the Bible in non-religious contexts.

Following the board's decision, professional basketball player Josh Hart celebrated the vote on social media by posting a biblical phrase. Hart, who recently won a league championship with the New York Knicks, has frequently shared his religious faith throughout his professional career.

Left Perspective

Shielding the Secular Classroom
Eroding Professional Educator Autonomy
Stifling Inclusive Democratic Pluralism

Right Perspective

Anchoring Civilizational Moral Literacy
Synthesizing Sacred and Secular
Reflecting Democratic Community Values

Left Perspective

• Shielding the Secular Classroom This camp prioritizes the constitutional separation of church and state to protect diverse student bodies from state-sponsored religious coercion. Mandating specific religious texts like Exodus and the Shepherd’s Psalm for over 5 million students selectively elevates Christian scripture, violating the core principle of religious neutrality in public institutions. By making the Bible the sole religious text on the mandated reading list, the state risks alienating non-Christian students and establishing a state-sanctioned religious preference under the guise of cultural education.

• Eroding Professional Educator Autonomy This perspective values decentralized academic expertise and challenges top-down, politically motivated curriculum mandates. Board member Evelyn Brooks’ opposition highlights how dictating specific books strips classroom teachers of their professional autonomy to tailor lessons to their students' unique needs. Imposing rigid, state-level reading requirements on local districts prioritizes political agendas over pedagogical flexibility, replacing the objective judgment of trained educators with ideological mandates.

• Stifling Inclusive Democratic Pluralism The primary risk of this curriculum shift is the narrowing of public education into a tool for sectarian cultural transmission rather than a forum for diverse, critical thought. While the approved list includes secular authors like Kurt Vonnegut and Elie Wiesel, Stanford professor Antero Garcia warns that the exclusive inclusion of the Bible as the sole religious source systematically orients students toward Christianity. This exclusive focus threatens to undermine the inclusive mission of public schooling, replacing a broad, pluralistic educational foundation with a singular theological framework.

Right Perspective

• Anchoring Civilizational Moral Literacy This perspective prioritizes the transmission of foundational cultural and moral traditions necessary for preserving social cohesion and national identity. Introducing historical texts like the Book of Exodus and the Shepherd's Psalm provides students with the essential moral and philosophical vocabulary of Western civilization. As board member Julie Pickren stated, these selected readings help students understand the foundational principles of both the United States and the state of Texas, ensuring that future generations remain anchored in their shared heritage.

• Synthesizing Sacred and Secular Rather than establishing a theocracy, this policy integrates religious literature within a balanced curriculum alongside celebrated secular works by authors like E.B. White, Shel Silverstein, and Aesop. Acknowledging the profound literary and historical impact of the Bible is a matter of academic completeness rather than religious indoctrination, a value supported by scholars who recognize the secular literary utility of scripture. This approach respects the historical reality that religious texts have shaped literature and ethics, offering students a holistic education.

• Reflecting Democratic Community Values Public schools must reflect the values and moral standards of the communities they serve, a principle upheld by the decisive 9-5-1 vote of the elected state board of education. When public figures like championship-winning basketball player Josh Hart openly celebrate biblical principles, it underscores the enduring, positive relevance of faith in civic life. By aligning the curriculum with these deeply held regional values, the board fosters institutional trust and ensures that public education reinforces, rather than undermines, the foundational beliefs of the community.

How it may affect me

As a U.S. reader:

• Over five million public school students in Texas will immediately have their required reading lists modified to include specific biblical passages, such as the Book of Exodus and the Shepherd's Psalm, alongside secular works.

• Public school teachers in Texas may experience a reduction in their professional autonomy as they are required to teach these specific state-mandated texts rather than selecting materials tailored to their students' needs.

• In the long term, students may develop a stronger comprehension of the historical, moral, and philosophical foundations of Western civilization and the United States through exposure to these religious texts.

• Alternatively, in the long term, public school children could be increasingly oriented toward Christianity, potentially alienating non-Christian families and shifting the public education system away from a religiously neutral environment.

Texas Education Board Votes to Mandate Bible Passages in Public Schools

The BareStory

Left Perspective

Right Perspective

How it may affect me

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