AUSTIN — The Texas State Board of Education on Friday approved new curriculum standards that require public schools to include Christian Bible stories in classroom reading materials and adopted changes to the kindergarten through eighth-grade social studies curriculum, with implementation set for the 2030-31 school year.
The approved reading standards add Christian texts, including the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” and “The Eight Beatitudes,” to required instructional materials across several grade levels. The revised social studies standards reduce emphasis on world history and place greater focus on Texas and U.S. history.
The changes will affect more than 5 million public school students across Texas.
According to the Associated Press, the move could make Texas the only state with a mandatory reading list that includes religious texts. Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a professor at Stanford University, said he is unaware of any other state with a similar requirement.
The board’s decision followed several days of public testimony from supporters and opponents of the curriculum changes.
Marisa B. Perez, a Democratic board member from San Antonio, criticized the revisions in a social media post before the vote.
“The last several months have challenged me more than any other time on the board that I can remember,” Perez wrote. “As I sit in the board room tonight, reflecting on my 13 years of service on the Texas State Board of Education, I cannot help but acknowledge that my ‘quiet’ is a contemplation of where we find ourselves today: a decimation of accurate, honest, and holistic social studies education for Texas public school students.”
Mohammed and Ruth Nasrullah traveled from the Clear Lake area to Austin to testify against the proposed changes. The couple waited more than eight hours before delivering their two-minute remarks to the board.
Ruth Nasrullah said she opposed the proposed curriculum because she believed it removed historical context and excluded key figures from history.
She also said testimony from some supporters of the changes targeted Muslims and Islam.
“It was hurtful,” Mohammed Nasrullah said, referring to applause that followed one speaker’s remarks. “It was really a very, very unsettling feeling.”
Bonnie Wallace, a conservative activist, urged the board to approve the reading list.
“I encourage you to vote for the reading list presented,” Wallace told board members. “This reading list will not fix every problem, but it is a good start.”
James Hallamek of the Texas State Teachers Association opposed the curriculum, saying required religious texts place teachers in difficult positions when addressing families with different beliefs.
Ninth-grade student Jillian Perkinz of Port Neches-Groves High School also testified against the proposal.
“I believe that religion and Bible reading should occur in religious schools and churches, not public schools,” Perkinz said.
The statewide vote came one day after the Houston Independent School District approved the use of Bluebonnet Learning instructional materials, a curriculum developed by the Texas Education Agency that includes Bible stories in elementary reading and language arts lessons.
Bluebonnet Learning is optional for Texas school districts, although the state offers financial incentives for adoption.
The curriculum includes lessons on the Golden Rule using biblical passages, Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” and the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
The curriculum drew criticism earlier this year after the Texas Education Agency issued more than 4,000 corrections, including copyright violations, formatting errors and typographical mistakes. The Texas Tribune reported that the revisions could cost taxpayers up to $8.4 million.
Houston ISD officials said the district will receive about $3.3 million in additional state funding by adopting the curriculum.
In a statement, Houston ISD said the materials align with the district’s literacy framework and that biblical references are presented as literature and historical texts rather than religious instruction.
Superintendent Mike Miles said the district adopted curriculum approved by the state.
“What we’ve done is left the politics of it in Austin,” Miles said. “I don’t get to choose what the State Board of Education approves or doesn’t approve.”
Dozens of parents and faith leaders spoke against the Houston ISD proposal before the district approved it.
Rabbi Joshua Fixler criticized the district’s decision, saying the curriculum violated students’ religious liberty and that the board placed the item on the agenda too late for broader public participation.
