Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
The Texas State Board of Education voted Friday, June 26, 2026, to approve a statewide list of literary works that includes selected Bible stories and passages as required reading in Texas public schools, according to official documents released by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
The approved list was adopted under legislation directing the Board to establish required literary works for public school students. Implementation is scheduled to begin with the 2030–31 school year.
According to the TEA’s officially proposed list of literary works presented to the Board, students will read a variety of biblical texts at different grade levels. Among the selections for high school students are The Golden Rule, The Parable of the Prodigal Son, The Road to Damascus, David and Goliath, passages from Genesis, Psalm 23, the story of Jonah, and Lamentations, Chapter 3.
The Board’s official proposal describes the list of literary works as part of the state’s English language arts curriculum requirements established under House Bill 1605. The materials identify the selected works as literature intended for classroom instruction alongside other historical and literary texts.
The Texas Education Agency published both the proposed literary works list and the draft administrative rule implementing the new requirements before the State Board’s final approval.
The adopted literary works list applies statewide to Texas public schools beginning with the scheduled implementation date, making the selected biblical passages part of the required reading established by the State Board of Education.
