Texas will require Bible stories in public schools after the State Board of Education approved a mandatory reading list Friday alongside a rewrite of K-8 social studies lessons that minimize racial, geographic and cultural diversity.
The Republican-led board passed the mandated Christian stories in public school lessons on a 9-4 vote along party lines, with two members not present for the vote. The revamped social studies lessons, which required separate votes for each grade, also passed. The board postponed changes to four high school courses, which members will vote on at a future meeting.
The meetings ran as late as 2 a.m., with the members meticulously parsing through changes to lessons in each grade.
Some of the nearly 500 speakers who addressed the board exchanged heated words about Christianity’s role in the development of the country, and at least one person with a Confederate flag was deemed out of order by the board chair and escorted from the room for verbally interrupting the meeting.
