Texas schools can now teach Bible-based reading lessons

The Texas State Board of Education on Friday approved a controversial, Bible-infused curriculum for public school students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Texas schools will not be required to use "BlueBonnet" curriculum, which includes lessons from the books of Genesis and Psalms, as well as the New Testament, but will receive extra funding if they do.

The board's narrow vote of 8 to 7 marks the latest move by Republicans to incorporate Christian teachings into schools nationwide. Four Democrats and three Republicans voted against using the curriculum.

The vote was only for adding the curriculum to English Language Arts and Reading, but the board is considering using it in other areas.

“The materials contain an unwelcome and unnecessary quantity of Bible references,” the Texas American Federation of Teachers said in a written statement released on 15 November. “Not only do these materials violate the separation of church and state and the academic freedom of our classroom, but also the sanctity of the teaching profession.”

The curriculum will be used in classrooms from August 2025.

School districts can design their own lesson plans and are not forced to adopt the curriculum, but will receive a funding incentive of $40 per student to buy learning materials if they do.

Similar efforts are being made in other US, Republican-dominated states.

In Louisiana, a law requiring all state schools to display the Ten Commandments has been temporarily blocked by a federal court following legal action from a parent group.

Top education officials in Oklahoma ordered public schools in June to incorporate Bible lessons in teaching students in grades five through twelve. Parents, students and teachers have filed a lawsuit with the Oklahoma Supreme Court to prevent Bible purchases.

More recently, the lead education official in Oklahoma, Superintendent Ryan Walters, announced the state had purchased 500 copies of the Bible published by President-elect Donald Trump for some high school classes focused on the US government. He said the books included other "foundational documents" for the country, namely the Declaration of Independence.

Superintendent Walters has also required schools to show students a video of him praying for Trump, although some school districts refused, according to media reports.