Texas Board of Education approves Bible-based elective curriculum for elementary schools

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Board of Education voted Friday to allow Bible-based teaching in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led states that have pushed this year to allow for a greater presence of religion in public classes.

The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is not required for schools to adopt, but if they do, they will receive additional funding. The materials may appear in the classroom as early as the next school year.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott expressed support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state education agency, which oversees more than 5 million students in Texas public schools.

Parents and teachers who opposed the curriculum said the lessons would alienate students of other faiths.

Proponents argued that the Bible was a key element of American history and that teaching it would enrich students’ learning.

THIS IS BREAKING NEWS. AP’s earlier story appears below.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas will allow Bible-based lessons in elementary schools under changes that were put to a final vote Friday that could test the boundaries between religion and public education in the United States.

The proposed curriculum narrowly passed a preliminary vote this week on the Texas State Board of Education, whose elected members listened for hours to sometimes impassioned pleas from supporters and critics alike for the material schools could begin using next year.

If passed, Texas’ new curriculum would follow efforts by Republicans in neighboring states to ensure a greater presence of religion in public schools. In Oklahoma, the state education superintendent has ordered a copy of the Bible in every classroom, and Louisiana wants the Ten Commandments to be posted in all public school classrooms in the state starting next year.

In Texas, schools will not be required to use these materials, but if they do, they will receive additional funding.

If the board improves the curriculum, Texas would be the first state to introduce Bible classes in schools this way, said Matthew Patrick Shaw, an assistant professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University.

The Texas Education Agency, which oversees public education for more than 5 million students statewide, created its own educational materials after a law passed in 2023 by the GOP-controlled Legislature required the agency to do so. The lesson plans were released this spring.

The material draws on lessons from Christianity more than any other religion in proposed reading and language arts modules for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, which critics say will alienate students of different faiths and potentially violate the First Amendment.

“This curriculum is not age and subject appropriate in terms of presenting Bible stories,” said Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist United Committee for Religious Liberty.

The children who will read the material, she said, “are simply too young to tell the difference between what is a statement of faith and what is fact.”

More than 100 people testified at this week’s board meeting, which stirred emotions among parents, teachers and advocates. Proponents of the curriculum argued that the Bible was a key element of American history and its teaching would enrich student learning.

“They say there are about 300 everyday phrases that actually come from the Bible,” said Mary Castle, director of government relations for Texas Values, an advocacy group. “So it will be helpful for students to understand many of these references that are in the literature and be able to understand them.”

The 15-member board includes 11 Republicans and four Democrats. That signaled support for the materials in Wednesday’s 8-7 primary vote.

One of the board members is a Republican who was appointed to the board just weeks ago by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to temporarily fill a vacancy. A few days after this appointment, a Democrat was elected unopposed to the same seat on the board beginning the following year.

Abbott has publicly supported the training materials.

Whether the lesson plans would be considered constitutional is in question if the curriculum is adopted, Shaw said.

“The question is how Texas is going to frame what is being done here to avoid the establishment issue or to tackle it directly,” he said.

Texas’ plans to introduce biblical teachings into public school lesson plans are the latest attempt by Republican-controlled states to introduce religion into the classroom.

In Louisiana, a law to post the Ten Commandments in all public classrooms was blocked by a federal judge earlier this month. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed the law into law in June, prompting a group of Louisiana public school parents of different faiths to file a lawsuit.

In Oklahoma, the state’s top education official has attempted to include the Bible in lesson plans for children in grades five through 12. A group of teachers and parents recently filed a lawsuit to stop a Republican state superintendent’s plan and his effort to spend $3 million to purchase Bibles for public schools.

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Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.