Texas Board Requires Bible Stories in Public Schools From Kindergarten Through Grade 12

A state education board voted 9-4 last month to require Bible stories in English classes from kindergarten through grade 12. Students as young as six will read accounts including Daniel and the Lion’s Den, Noah’s Ark, and David and Goliath. The board is the second-largest textbook purchaser in the United States.

Publishers often adjust content to meet its requirements, and other states have followed similar policies.

Rachel Laser, President and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the decision forces children to read Bible stories and represents an effort to impose one set of religious beliefs. She added that religious groups in other states copy Texas policies.

A federal appeals court ruled in April against parents who challenged a separate state law requiring Ten Commandments displays. The families plan to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review that ruling.

of Texas Freedom

Network said one curriculum advisor founded a Christian advocacy group and that the material excludes other religions. He stated the curriculum presents a version of history that highlights some voices and omits others. Savleen Singh of the Sikh Coalition said a reading list centered on the Bible raises concerns about religious favoritism.

Rabbi David Segal of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty said schools should prepare students for civic life rather than advance a religious viewpoint. Dawn Hatley, who testified before the board, said the curriculum helps students recognize religious influence in history.