Texas board approves Bible stories as required reading in public schools

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible passages, widening conservative efforts to push Christian teachings in U.S. classrooms

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible passages, widening conservative efforts to push Christian teachings in U.S. classrooms.

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The Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list over critics who argued the titles lack diversity and blur the separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation’s founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.

The proposal, which mandates literary works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” alongside passages from the New Testament, has been closely followed by education observers who say it appears to be the first of its kind in the nation. It is a departure from letting schools or teachers decide what students read.