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.
