The Texas State Board of Education voted Friday to make Bible passages required reading in public schools, a move that will affect more than 5 million students enrolled across the state.
The Republican-controlled board passed a new required reading list by a vote of 9-5-1. The list includes sections of the Book of Exodus for fifth graders and The Shepherd's Psalm for seventh graders, along with works by authors including E.B. White, Shel Silverstein, Aesop, Kurt Vonnegut, and Elie Wiesel.
Board discussions Friday morning touched on the implementation timeline and the question of teacher autonomy. Republican board member Julie Pickren said before the vote, according to ABC News, that the readings are intended to give students "important insight into the moral and philosophical traditions that have shaped Western civilization." She added: "When students engage directly with original writings, speeches, sermons, and foundational texts, they can evaluate ideas and develop a deeper understanding of the principles that have shaped the USA and Texas."
Board member Evelyn Brooks spoke against the list during the hearing, saying it removed teacher autonomy and was unconstitutional. "Teachers need to have their autonomy. They've been selecting books for decades, for years. This is nothing new. This is not a new concept to teachers," she said. "We are simply giving them a mandated list, which I believe is unconstitutional, but regardless of what I believe, let's not take their autonomy away."
Antero Garcia, a professor in the graduate school of education at Stanford University and a former high school English teacher, told ABC News the new curriculum represents a major change. "It is a substantive reshaping of ... what kids are supposed to learn throughout the state of Texas over their 13 years of compulsory public education," Garcia said.
Garcia said the required reading list may be a first-of-its-kind action at the state level and suggested other states could follow. "Oftentimes, where Texas goes, other states will follow, right? So, this is a pretty substantial move that I could imagine other states picking up and moving forward with as a possibility," he said.
Garcia also acknowledged that the Bible "has been taught as a work of literature across non-religious and secular contexts" and called it "an important formative work of literature, whether or not we want to think of it as doctrine or gospel."