Texas schools take up Bible, debate ensues | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Texas schools take up Bible, debate ensues after the Texas State Board of Education voted on June 26 to add Bible passages to public school literature classes. The requirement covers grades 1 through 12 and directs students to study 10 Old Testament and five New Testament passages within 185 required readings, with an opt-out option if biblical content violates conscience. The changes arrive as Texas educates about one-tenth of the nation’s schoolchildren. The list includes works such as Stuart Little, The Cat in the Hat, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Great Expectations, Animal Farm, speeches by Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., and Anne Frank’s diary alongside Night. Approval was 9-5, with many Democrats and liberals opposing inclusion amid constitutional concerns raised through Abington v. Schempp.