LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Texas Board of Education is making passages from the Bible required reading for students from first grade through high school. Social studies will also be narrowed from a global perspective to the U.S. and Texas. Bill Zeeble with member station KERA reports.
BILL ZEEBLE, BYLINE: The board's decisions been brewing for a few years, and the majority says Texas students should know Christianity's role in the creation of the nation and the state of Texas. The list of required readings calls for both standard literature by writers from Shakespeare to Langston Hughes and Bible passages like Psalm 23 or Jonah and the whale. Last Friday, the Republican majority board delivered its decision in a 9-5 party line vote. Here's board member Brandon Hall.
BRANDON HALL: America and Texas have been a Christian nation and a Christian state forever. Of course, there are other faiths that are represented, but they've had a minimal impact.
ZEEBLE: Hundreds of conservatives spoke at the board meeting in support. Hundreds of others, including Jews and Muslims, oppose the plan. So did Kimmy Fink (ph), a Catholic mom and former teacher from the Austin area.
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KIMMY FINK: We hold fast to this nation's guarantee that it is our right to practice our faith as we so choose, and we absolutely object to the government requiring Bible readings in public schools.
ZEEBLE: The board's social studies rewrite injects more Bible stories while reasserting the evils of communism and citing Islam - the world's second largest religion - as dangerously violent and founded by Prophet Muhammed, who, quote, "led brutal military campaigns." Critics said this rewrite lacked balance and accuracy. The board plans to finish the social studies curriculum rewrite in September, having completed K-8 so far. The Bible passage reading list is ready and starts in the 2030 school year. For NPR News, I'm Bill Zeeble in Dallas.
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