Texas Public School Students Will Be Required to Read the Bible
Texas passed what may be the first state-mandated book list for public school students. It focuses on classic literature and includes Bible excerpts.For example, 10th graders would read “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare, and “The Inferno” by Dante Alighieri. Among other texts, they would also read the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speech; Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem “The Raven”; Margaret Thatcher’s eulogy for Mr. Reagan; and an excerpt from the Book of Job.
Students would be required to read a Bible excerpt at most grade levels, starting in elementary school.
Excerpts included “The Necessity of Humility” by the Gospel of Luke and “To Everything There is a Season” from the Book of Ecclesiastes. In middle and high school, Bible selections were included in thematic units along with a book. For example, the “Definition of Love,” from First Corinthians, would be taught alongside “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen in 12th grade.
Texas Public School Students Will Be Required to Read the Bible
Texas passed what may be the first state-mandated book list for public school students. It focuses on classic literature and includes Bible excerpts.