Texas Curriculum Adds Bible Passages to Reading and Narrows History Focus

Texas’s State Board of Education approved TEKS updates that will require Bible passages to be read as part of the literacy standards (including Psalm 23 and the Prodigal Son) and rewrites to K–8 social studies that emphasize U.S. and Texas history, with rollout slated for the 2030–31 school year. The move prompted extensive testimony and debate over religious bias and the place of Islam in the curriculum, with critics warning it privileges Christianity and may blur the line between religion and education, while supporters say it reflects American cultural foundations. Some high school standards were delayed for revision in September.