Texas education board votes to make Bible passages required reading – abcnews.com

Texas education board votes to make Bible passages required reading  abcnews.com

The Texas State Board of Education has voted to make Bible passages required reading for Texas public school children. The Texas State Board of Education has voted to make Bible passages required reading in public schools. The education board, which is controlled by Republicans, voted to pass a new required reading list on Friday by a vote of 9-5-1. The list for required literature includes sections of the Book of Exodus for fifth graders, The Shepherd's Psalm for seventh graders and more. Board discussions about the required reading list took place Friday morning and touched on issues related to the implementation timeline and the question of teacher autonomy in deciding which works should be required reading.

Authors appearing on the approved required reading list include E.B. White, Shel Silverstein, Aesop, Kurt Vonnegut, Elie Wiesel and more. The list will impact the more than 5 million students enrolled in public schools across the state. Julie Pickren, a Republican member of the Texas education board, told The Texas Tribune last week, prior to the list's passage, that the readings are intended to give students "important insight into the moral and philosophical traditions that have shaped Western civilization." "When students engage directly with original writings, speeches, sermons, and foundational texts, they can evaluate ideas and develop a deeper understanding of the principles that