Texas becomes first state to make Bible required reading

After days of hearings, the Texas State Board of Education voted 9-5 late Friday to require a K-12 reading list that includes roughly 200 Bible passages, making Texas the first state to mandate biblical texts in public schools. The move, stemming from 2023 HB 1605, drew backlash: Texas House Democrats say the board exceeded the law by mandating up to 20 texts per grade and consuming up to 80% of English time, while critics including the Freedom From Religion Foundation decried religious favoritism. Separately, Bluebonnet textbooks were flagged for more than 4,200 errors, costing $8.4 million to fix.