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State Board of Education member Julie Pickren speaks during a meeting on proposed social studies standards at the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin on Monday, June 22, 2026. The board is considering revisions that would place greater emphasis on Christian history and biblical content in public school classrooms.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
The State Board of Education heard public comment Monday on a proposed reading list with Bible materials<\/a> as it moved toward a final vote.<\/p>\n The list includes 13 biblical readings, with at least one Bible passage or story in every grade except kindergarten. The debate over the reading list continues a yearslong battle over what role religion should have in the classroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n State Board of Education member Julie Pickren (right) questions state Rep. Salman Bhojani, D-Euless, during a meeting at the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin on Monday, June 22, 2026. The board is considering revisions that would place greater emphasis on Christian history and biblical content in public school classrooms.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman Robert Mearns of Granbury, dressed as an American Revolutionary War soldier, listens during a meeting on proposed social studies standards at the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin on Monday, June 22, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n Public testimony drew people to Austin, where the board met, from across the state. This week, the board is also consider changing social studies standards<\/a> to emphasize American and Texas history over world cultures and geography.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Advocates for the list emphasized the historical value of biblical texts, especially to American history. They argued that Texas\u2019 reading list should honor the United States\u2019 \u201cJudeo-Christian\u201d roots.<\/p>\n Related: Texas board hears heated testimony on social studies standards as final vote nears<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAmerica and Texas have been a Christian nation and a Christian state forever,\u201d Republican board member Brandon Hall said at the meeting. \u201cThe proportion of the impact [Christians have] had is why they are included. There are other faiths that are represented, but they’ve had a minimal impact, especially in our founding and our culture and laws leading up to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n State Board of Education members LJ Francis and Audrey Young speak to each other during a meeting on proposed social studies standards at the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin on Monday, June 22, 2026. The board is considering revisions that would place greater emphasis on Christian history and biblical content in public school classrooms.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n Teaching about religion vs. teaching religion<\/p>\n The list draws from the Books of Luke, Genesis, Matthew and more, but it does not include any central texts from other religions, prompting concern that the state is violating the separation of church and state. The reading list would be required for Texas public school students starting with the 2030-31 school year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s vital that this board make a distinction between teaching about religion and teaching religion,\u201d said Joshua Fixler, a rabbi from Houston.<\/p>\n Related:\u00a0Are you smarter than a first grader? See if you could pass Texas’ controversial<\/a><\/p>\n In response to the idea that the list promotes Christianity, supporters of the list said the biblical references give students a \u201cmore complete\u201d education, arguing that including the Bible does not equate to indoctrination.<\/p>\n \u201cIf our goal is to educate, we should not exclude one of the most significant influences on our nation’s development,\u201d Stephen Lara, a Turning Point USA leader in Lubbock, said at Monday\u2019s meeting in Austin.<\/p>\n The final list is significantly pared down from the version proposed in January<\/a>, with over 300 texts cut in the interim, including seven Bible lessons and texts from Mary Shelley and Booker T. Washington. State Rep. Salman Bhojani, D-Euless, said at the meeting that the list does not include enough Hispanic and Black authors, and is therefore not representative of the state\u2019s population.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n State Rep. Salman Bhojani, D-Euless, testifies during a meeting on proposed social studies standards at the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin on Monday, June 22, 2026. The board is considering revisions that would place greater emphasis on Christian history and biblical content in public school classrooms.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n \u201cA reading list that does not reflect the full breadth of who we are as Texans is not a Texas reading list,\u201d Bhojani said. \u201cIt is a selective one.\u201d<\/p>\n Republican board member L.J. Francis said the issue of author diversity is an \u201cadult problem\u201d rather than a \u201cchildren\u2019s problem,\u201d and diversity in literature goes beyond an author\u2019s identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n Texas is creating its reading list in compliance with a 2023 state law, which only requires one mandatory text per grade level. However, the proposed\u00a0 list requires as many as two dozen texts for some grade levels, including novels, short stories, poems and excerpts. Some educators and community members said the sheer volume of texts would take up too much instructional time, causing teachers to neglect other educational priorities.<\/p>\n Thomas Ray Garcia, an English professor at South Texas College, pointed out that several texts such as Aesop\u2019s Fables and Davy Crockett are repeated in different grade levels, leading to redundancy, and argued those repetitions should be removed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cEvery entry you remove from these lists is instructional time given back to a teacher who knows their students best,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n Exclusive use of the King James translation faulted<\/p>\n Some witnesses also objected to the list\u2019s almost exclusive use of the King James translation of the Bible, including for Old Testament excerpts. Jewish and Catholic speakers said that the reading list discriminates even among Christians by centering Protestant Christianity.<\/p>\n Those in favor of the King James translation, including Hall, said it has stood the test of time and is more \u201cpoetic\u201d than other, more modern translations. According to Texas education code, students taking elective courses on the Bible may not be confined to one specific translation of the Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament, but it is unclear if that statute applies to the required reading list.<\/p>\n The reading list is just one in a series of measures that would increase the role of religion in Texas public schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In March, school districts decided whether to institute a daily period for praying or reading religious texts. However, most North Texas districts did not implement a prayer period<\/a>, citing logistical concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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