Texas will soon hand every public school student a reading list with scripture on it.

The Republican-controlled State Board of Education approved the mandate Friday afternoon on a 9-5-1 vote, according to Fox 4. The requirement covers 5.5 million students across all public and charter campuses, and elementary grades will see it first in the 2030-31 school year, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Younger children will read picture-book versions of David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lion’s Den, and Jonah and the Whale, according to Fox 4. By fourth grade, students reach New Testament passages about Jesus, and middle schoolers cover several more, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The board folded the verses into a list of roughly 200 texts that also carries secular staples such as “Charlotte’s Web” and “Great Expectations,” according to CBS News. Two education experts told the outlet that Texas appears to be the first state to dictate a literary canon for every student rather than leave those picks to teachers. (RELATED: Giants Pitchers Who Wrote Bible Verses On Pride Night Hats Won’t Be Disciplined, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Says)

Supporters say the lessons ground children in the country’s origins rather than push faith on them.

Houston ISD’s state-appointed board of managers on Thursday approved the district’s use of the state’s Bluebonnet learning materials, which has drawn controversy for its incorporation of Bible teachings. https://t.co/5WL4npSqFR pic.twitter.com/jzCDT3tVSD

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) June 26, 2026

One Republican broke ranks. Evelyn Brooks of Frisco questioned a state-imposed reading list and called the mandate unconstitutional, noting that teachers have chosen their own classroom books for decades, according to Fox 4.

Outside groups went further. “Texas is telling millions of children that one religion deserves the government’s seal of approval, while everyone else is an afterthought,” Freedom From Religion Foundation president Annie Laurie Gaylor told the Houston Chronicle.

The vote extends a run of Christian-themed policy out of Texas. The state already requires the Ten Commandments in every classroom and has rolled out an optional Bible-infused curriculum, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Board members approved a companion rewrite of K-8 social studies the same day, cutting a World Cultures course and expanding lessons on communism, according to the Houston Chronicle. High school standards were tabled until September.