Texas Board of Education votes to approve Bible curriculum in elementary schools

The Texas Board of Education narrowly voted Friday to allow Bible-based curriculum in elementary schools.

The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to implement, 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 vote passed 8-7.

Staci Childs, who is an attorney and a Democrat who voted against the Bible curriculum at Friday’s hearing, said she believes it will be challenged in court.

“So if those facts alone, if a parent or a teacher who didn’t feel comfortable teaching this were to bring this up to a court, I believe they would be successful,” she said. “And in my good conscience, in protecting my bar license, I just do not feel that these materials are yet reflective of the experiences and the nuance of Texas students.”

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, while 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, which oversees public education for students statewide, created its 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.

More than 100 people testified at a board meeting this week that rang with emotion from parents, teachers and advocates. Supporters of the curriculum argued that the Bible is a core feature of American history and teaching it will enrich students’ learning.

“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.”