AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ education board voted Friday to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms.
The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they will receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than 5 million students in Texas public schools. The 15-member education board — 11 Republicans and four Democrats — approved the materials in an 8-7 vote.
Parents and teachers who opposed the curriculum said the lessons will alienate students of other faith backgrounds. Supporters argued that the Bible is a core feature of American history and that teaching it will enrich students’ learning.
The new Texas curriculum follows Republican-led efforts in neighboring states to give religion more of a presence in public schools. In Oklahoma, the state’s education chief has ordered a copy of the Bible in every classroom, and Louisiana wants to make all of the state’s public school classrooms post the Ten Commandments beginning next year.
With the new curriculum, Texas would be the first state to introduce Bible lessons in schools in this manner, according to Matthew Patrick Shaw, an assistant professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University.
The Texas Education Agency created its own instruction materials after a law passed in 2023 by the GOP-controlled Legislature required the agency to do so. The lesson plans were publicly released this spring.
The material draws on lessons from Christianity more than any other religion in the proposed reading and language arts modules for kindergarten through fifth grade, which critics say would alienate students from different faith backgrounds and potentially violate the First Amendment.
“This curriculum is not age-appropriate or subject-matter-appropriate in the way that it presents these Bible stories,” said Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
Children who would read the material, she said, “are simply too young to tell the difference between what is a faith claim and what is a matter of fact.”
More than 100 people testified at a board meeting this week that rung with emotion from parents, teachers and advocates.
“It is said that there are close to 300 common-day phrases that actually come from the Bible,” said Mary Castle, director of government relations for Texas Values, a right-leaning advocacy group. “So students will benefit from being able to understand a lot of these references that are in literature and have a way to be able to comprehend them.”
Whether the lesson plans will be considered constitutional is up in the air if the curriculum passes, Shaw said.
“The question is, how is Texas going to frame what is done here to avoid the establishment question or tackle it head-on?” he said.
Lathan and Stengle write for the Associated Press.