<\/p>\n
Karen Prewitt of Mission holds a sign reading “Social studies rules” during a rally on the Capitol Mall outside the Barbara Jordan State Office Building, where the State Board of Education meets, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman via AP)<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/AP<\/p>\n
People hold signs reading “Teach the Truth” during a rally on the Capitol Mall outside the Barbara Jordan State Office Building, where the State Board of Education meets, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman via AP)<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/AP<\/p>\n
Taylor Crawford of Houston holds a sign reading “History belongs to everyone” during a rally on the Capitol Mall outside the Barbara Jordan State Office Building, where the State Board of Education meets, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman via AP)<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/AP<\/p>\n
Shaimaa Zayan, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, speaks during a rally on the Capitol Mall outside the Barbara Jordan State Office Building, where the State Board of Education meets, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman via AP)<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/AP<\/p>\n
People hold signs reading “Teach the Truth” and “Don’t erase our history” during a rally on the Capitol Mall outside the Barbara Jordan State Office Building, where the State Board of Education meets, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman via AP)<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/AP<\/p>\n
Emily Glankler, an Austin social studies teacher, speaks during a rally on the Capitol Mall outside the Barbara Jordan State Office Building, where the State Board of Education meets, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman via AP)<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/AP<\/p>\n
Biblical stories like Jonah and the whale would be required reading for Texas public schools students under proposals that are putting the state at the center of another contentious wrangling over the role of religion in classrooms.<\/p>\n
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Religious leaders, teachers, parents and students spent hours Tuesday before the state education board arguing about the reading list<\/a> for the state\u2019s 5.4 million kindergartners to 12th-graders. The debate is part of widening efforts in the U.S. to incorporate religion in schools, mostly in Republican-led states, driving legislation and legal action.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Nationally, President Donald Trump has pledged to protect and expand religious expression in public schools. And Texas, a red state that is home to about one in 10 of the nation\u2019s public school students, often helps set the agenda.<\/p>\n Texas became the first state to allow chaplains, in 2023. And just last year, a Republican-led mandate that the Ten Commandments be displayed in public schools took effect in the state, although around two dozen districts took them down because of a lawsuit.<\/p>\n But while the debate over Texas’ reading list could have national implications, to the speakers the issue boiled down to whether the passages are essential to understanding the nation’s history and morals \u2014 or unconstitutional.<\/p>\n Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Related: Texas mandated displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms. What legal battles ensued?<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cOur children need truth,\u201d said Nathan Irving, a pastor and father of eight from Myrtle Springs, Texas. \u201cTruth is the only currency that never devalues. Investing truth into our children is the most loving thing that we can do for them. This is the truth. This country and this state were founded upon a Christian worldview. Like it or not, it is true.\u201d<\/p>\n Final vote on the changes still ahead<\/p>\n A final vote on the list is expected in June, and if approved by the Texas State Board of Education, the changes would take effect in 2030.<\/p>\n Several speakers cited the \u201cestablishment clause\u201d of the First Amendment, which states that \u201cCongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: State Board of Education took up Bible-infused required reading list. Here’s how it went<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis list is a tool of proselytization that has no place in our public schools,\u201d Rabbi Josh Fixler, of Congregation Emanu El, a reform synagogue in Houston, told the board. \u201cThere is a difference between teaching about religion and teaching religion, and this list will force teachers to cross that line.\u201d<\/p>\n Megan Boyden, a mother of three from Denton, Texas, described is as a direct attack on her private faith.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a Christian mother, it is my right and responsibility to teach our family\u2019s religion,\u201d she said. “It is not the state\u2019s job to shed through the lens of a teacher who may not share the same beliefs I do. Will Bible passages be taught in conflict with my beliefs?<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWhat,\u201d she asked, \u201cof non-Christian students?\u201d<\/p>\n The list stems from a state law passed in 2023, which called for the creation of a state-approved list of high-quality materials.<\/p>\n Third graders would learn about the Road to Damascus, which tells the story of Paul’s transformation from an early persecutor of Christians into a follower. Seniors, meanwhile, would learn about the Book of Job, a story about a man whose faith is tested when he looses everything.<\/p>\n The list also includes classics like Dr. Seuss’ \u201cThe Cat in the Hat,\u201d stories about the national folk hero Daniel Boone. And there are also works by famous African Americans like Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr. and a book about Harriet Tubman of the Underground Railroad fame.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Texas has already approved optional curriculum that incorporates the Bible<\/p>\n The GOP-leaning board previously approved a new Bible-infused curriculum that is optional for schools to incorporate in kindergarten through fifth grades.<\/p>\n The board also is considering social studies standards that have been criticized as too state-centric, not focused enough on world events and rife with an undercurrent of American exceptionalism. They call for students to \u201cidentify the Texas flag as a symbol of Texas pride,\u201d and recognize the state song \u201cTexas, Our Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: Dallas ISD looks to offer universal free pre-K. Research shows it could be a game-changer<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Students also are supposed to be able to understand stories about Texas Independence.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Curriculum debates crop up occasionally. Over the years, state boards in places such as Kansas have debated whether the teaching of evolution should reflect doubt about the well-established scientific theory \u2014 and leave room for arguments that the universe\u2019s complexity points to an intelligent design.<\/p>\n Allison Cardwell, a mother of a fourth grader and a fifth grade social studies teacher, urged the board to rethink the standards. She said fifth grade would be the only time most Texas students would receive instruction in U.S. history until high school.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to ask ourselves, How can we expect to create citizens who value liberty, responsibility, and the principles this country was founded on, if we don\u2019t ensure that they truly understand those foundations?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Karen Prewitt of Mission holds a sign reading “Social studies rules” during a rally on the Capitol Mall…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":239522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[91990,732,132,134,133,91986,91991,145,60267,91992,91988,49485,91989,91987,23681,59373,91993,59370,59371,59372,86160,61262,27,88032,92238,90041,92239,89204,92241,92240,92242,90463],"class_list":{"0":"post-240497","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-allison-cardwell","9":"tag-article","10":"tag-austin","11":"tag-austin-headlines","12":"tag-austin-news","13":"tag-bible-stories-reading-list","14":"tag-daniel-boone","15":"tag-donald-trump","16":"tag-frederick-douglass","17":"tag-harriet-tubman","18":"tag-josh-fixler","19":"tag-martin-luther-king-jr","20":"tag-megan-boyden","21":"tag-nathan-irving","22":"tag-package-100024-ap-online","23":"tag-package-100373-mc-complete-state-national","24":"tag-product-30053-ap-kansas-state-news-no-weather","25":"tag-product-30109-ap-texas-state-news-no-weather","26":"tag-product-30598-ap-national-news-report-a-wire","27":"tag-product-31998-ap-online-national-news","28":"tag-product-32509-ap-online-religion-columns","29":"tag-product-46986-ap-online-top-stories","30":"tag-texas","31":"tag-tp-dallas-fortworth","32":"tag-tp-early-childhood-education","33":"tag-tp-ed-lab-school","34":"tag-tp-ed-lab-teach-learn","35":"tag-tp-education-lab","36":"tag-tp-protest","37":"tag-tp-religion","38":"tag-tp-texas-education-agency","39":"tag-tp-texas-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"image\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775016909_917_rawImage.jpg\" "\\"#\\"")
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