Texas Republicans are advancing a multi-front effort that would increase the use of Christian scripture in public schools, including proposals that could require students to read selected Bible passages as part of a statewide curriculum framework.
Supporters of the effort describe this as cultural literacy and moral grounding, and critics call it unconstitutional religious coercion. Opponents say this push is a violation of religious freedom and a breach in the separation of church and state.
At the center of the latest debate is a proposed, statewide required reading list being developed under a 2023 law directing the Texas Education Agency to assemble materials for the State Board of Education (SBOE) to consider.
The draft list contains hundreds of readings across grade levels and includes multiple selections from the Christian Bible. After hours of public testimony and internal debate, the SBOE voted 13–1 last week to delay action until its April meetings, citing concerns about the list’s religious emphasis and a lack of racial and cultural diversity in the selections.
If the proposal is adopted, schools would be required to teach the materials beginning in the 2030–31 school year.
The reading-list fight comes alongside other Texas policies that incorporate religious content into daily school life. A separate law, Senate Bill 11, requires every district and charter school to hold a vote on whether to adopt a policy offering time for “prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text” during each school day, according to an ACLU of Texas summary of the statute.
Meanwhile, the state has also promoted optional, state-developed instructional materials that include biblical references. The Texas Education Agency’s “Bluebonnet Learning” curriculum — which has drawn criticism for what opponents describe as heavy Christian framing — recently drew scrutiny from the SBOE after the agency sought to correct roughly 4,200 errors in the materials, including formatting problems and image replacements, according to reporting by The Texas Tribune.
Supporters of the broader push argue that biblical passages can be taught in a non-devotional way as foundational texts that shape history, literature and civic ideas — and they contend schools already teach religious references when covering world history and classic works.
Opponents, including civil-liberties groups and some parents from non-Christian or nonreligious backgrounds, argue that mandating scripture in required materials crosses the line from education into endorsement of a particular faith.
Texas’ separate Ten Commandments classroom-display law has already been blocked for some districts by a federal judge, underscoring the continuing constitutional disputes over religion in public education.
Guests:
Andrew L. Seidel is the Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Vice President of Strategic Communications.
Caro Achar is the ACLU-Texas Engagement Coordinator for Free Speech.
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This episode will be recorded on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.
