The Left Is Right About the Bible

The Texas State Board of Education has approved a required reading list for K–12 students that includes passages from the Bible. The list prescribes short, episodic excerpts for each grade, such as the stories of Adam and Eve, the parting of the Red Sea, and Daniel in the lion’s den. These readings appear alongside other literary works, including Hamlet and Pride and Prejudice for twelfth graders.

The board also approved a 140-page social studies framework for grades K–8. This document lists religious literature, including the Old and New Testaments, as a required subject alongside U.S. history and free enterprise. Under these guidelines, third graders will study Abraham and Moses, while fourth graders will identify the Pope and the Catholic Church as important European institutions during the Middle Ages. Additionally, students in a psychology course will examine the concept of the soul within ancient scriptures.