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| Kari Alfonso /PEXELS |
This is just the most recent example of states adding religion back into public school curriculum.
The Texas Board of Education approved a new reading list June 26 that will require public school students in the state to read excerpts from the Bible. The list passed the Republican-run board in a 9-5 vote and will officially go into effect in 2030, starting with elementary school students.The required Biblical readings include stories about Moses from the book of Exodus, the parable of the prodigal son from the book of Luke, and excerpts from the Adam and Eve story in the book of Genesis, as well as others, according to a proposed list. This list also emphasizes other classic and historical texts, like The Inferno by Dante Alighieri, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln. The state has created a literary canon that will be universal across public schools, although teachers can choose to add additional readings to “supplement the list,” according to the Houston Chronicle.
Proponents of the new requirements argue that the Bible is integral to understanding Western civilization and American history. Along with the reading list, the board also adopted social studies standards emphasizing American and Texas history. Mary Elizabeth Castle, director of government relations at Texas Values, told The Federalist ahead of Friday’s vote that the board’s work last week “determines what heroes, lessons, and principles live in Texas classrooms for the next decade or longer.”
“Texas Values has successfully advocated for the [state board of education] to resist removing references to our nation’s Christian founding and principles of religious freedom,” Castle told The Federalist. “The current draft of the standards effectively tell the good and the bad about national and international historical events. However, the standards do so in a way that leads students to appreciate our country and not profane it.”
Meanwhile, critics and corporate media outlets slammed the required reading list, saying it violates religious liberties or prioritizes Christianity. Ahead of the vote last week, a group of “faith leaders from several religions” and others held a “a funeral mourning the loss of religious freedom in public schools” outside the Texas Board of Education, according to the left-leaning Texas Freedom Network. --->READ MORE HERE
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| Fox News Digital-Elizabeth Heckman |
The list of roughly 200 texts takes effect in the 2030-31 school year for elementary students
The Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education approved a required reading list Friday that includes passages from the Bible, marking the latest effort by conservative officials to expand Christian teachings in public schools.
The Texas State Board of Education voted 9-5, with one abstention, to approve the required reading list for the state's more than 5 million public school students.
The required reading list includes works such as Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" along with passages from the New Testament.
The decision came after intense debate between supporters and critics and has been closely watched by education observers, who say it appears to be the first statewide required reading list of its kind in the United States.
Critics argued the required reading list promotes Christianity over religious diversity and civil rights while blurring the constitutional separation of church and state.
Supporters argued Judeo-Christian traditions are fundamental to the nation's founding and should be reflected in classroom instruction.
The required reading list will take effect beginning with the 2030-31 school year for elementary school students. --->READ MORE HERE
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