Texas to Implement Bible Reading Requirement in Public Schools Starting 2030

A new reading mandate will be implemented in Texas, requiring public school teachers to ensure that students in grades 1 to 12 read passages from the Bible. This rule is set to take effect in 2030 and is part of a newly approved reading list by the State Board of Education. This is the first time such a mandate has been enforced in Texas, making it the first state in the U.S. to require the reading of direct religious texts in public schools. The reading list includes nearly 200 mandatory readings, with 14 of those being biblical stories or passages, which equates to one biblical text for every 13 readings. The list does not include religious texts from faiths other than Christianity and Judaism. David R. Brockman, in a blog post for the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, stated that the mandate focuses on a single religious text, which could impair public schools' ability to serve a religiously diverse population and may marginalize non-Christian and non-religious students.