Texas has crossed a constitutional line. The state’s education board voted 8-3 on Tuesday to mandate Bible stories in public school curricula for kindergarten through fifth grade. The decision, pushed through by a conservative majority, requires teachers to incorporate passages from the Old and New Testaments into English and social studies lessons.
Critics call it a direct assault on the separation of church and state. Sources inside the board confirm the move was fast-tracked with minimal debate. ‘They were determined to ram this through before the next election,’ a former board official told me.
The new standards, set to take effect in 2025, include lessons on Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, and the Nativity. Lessons on other religions are optional. Legal challenges are already piling up.
The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State have filed suit, arguing the mandate violates the First Amendment. ‘This is about forcing one religious view on every child in Texas,’ said a lawyer for the plaintiffs. The row has spread beyond the United States.
In Britain, where collective worship is already enshrined in law, secular groups are watching closely. ‘This could embolden those who want to inject more religion into our schools,’ warned a spokesperson for the National Secular Society. Australia is also on alert, with state education ministers calling for a review of their own policies.
The money trail is worth following. Dark money groups, including several aligned with the evangelical right, poured millions into last year’s school board elections. Campaign finance records show hefty donations from the Texas-based Brinley Family Foundation, which has ties to a network of faith-based charter schools.
‘They’re buying the curriculum,’ a watchdog researcher alleged. The mandate’s supporters claim it’s about cultural literacy, not indoctrination. ‘These stories are foundational to Western civilisation,’ said a board member in the majority.
But the details suggest otherwise. The standards specify that teachers must ‘present the Bible as a source of moral instruction,’ not merely a historical text. For now, Texas joins a small but growing list of states requiring Bible teachings.
Louisiana and Oklahoma have similar laws, all of which are under legal fire. The US Supreme Court has consistently ruled against state-sponsored religious instruction in public schools. This will test the current conservative majority.
The credibility of the Texas Education Agency is on the line. Documents obtained by this outlet show that the board ignored warnings from its own legal counsel that the mandate was unconstitutional. ‘They knew the risks and pressed ahead anyway,’ a source inside the agency said.
The case will almost certainly end up before the Supreme Court. If it stands, it could open the door to similar laws across the Bible Belt and beyond. For now, the Anglosphere is watching.
The row is far from over.
