Texas approves Bible-infused curriculum for K-5 schools

Texas schools may start using a Bible-infused curriculum as soon as next school year after the state Education Board narrowly approved it Friday.

The state-authored Bluebonnet Learning curriculum includes various Bible lessons such as “the Good Samaritan and the Golden Rule and Moses that all students should be exposed to,” said Board member Will Hickman, the Texas Tribune reported. “In my view, these stories are on the education side and are establishing cultural literacy.”

The 8-7 vote means that schools can choose to adopt the K-5 curriculum, but are not required to do so. However, the state will pay schools that use it $60 per student, the Tribune reported.

The move is among efforts by Republicans in various states to reincorporate the Bible and Christian values into public schools. Oklahoma has begun purchasing Bibles for classrooms and Louisiana is fighting to mandate schools display the Ten Commandments. However, Texas would be the first state to introduce Bible lessons in schools in this way, the Associated Press reports.

Critics, which include some left-leaning religious groups, say the curriculum could lead to discrimination against students of other religions, as other faiths are included but receive less representation than Christianity. Some also say it contains inaccuracies and that it violates the so-called “separation of church and state” doctrine.

Others have criticized how Bluebonnet presents slavery, racism and civil rights, hot topics that have divided many districts, with some embracing Critical Race Theory while others have passed resolutions prohibiting it.

But proponents point to basic shared values that have shaped this country since its foundation and claim the curriculum will increase student learning through a cross-disciplinary approach that combines reading and language arts lessons with history and social studies, the Tribune reports.

“It is said that there are close to 300 common-day phrases that actually come from the Bible,” said Mary Castle, director of government relations for Texas Values, AP reported. “So students will benefit from being able to understand a lot of these references that are in literature and have a way to be able to comprehend them.”

Texas’ decision could carry ripple effects. As the second largest state, and largest textbook buyer, it has long influenced textbook content across the nation. Lawmakers mandated the creation of the curriculum last year.