Published: 12:48, 2 Sep 2026
Inside Trump's America-themed nine-hour prayer rally as 1,000s flock to National Mall to hear president read from Bible
A NEW reading mandate is coming into effect for millions of Americans.
The rule will force teachers in one state to ensure all students in grades 1 to 12 read passages and stories in the Bible.
Coming into effect in 2030, the mandate is part of a new reading list for public schools in Texas.
Teachers will have to follow the list, which has been approved by the State Board of Education.
This is the first time in the state’s history such a mandate has been enforced in the state.
According to reports, Texas is also the first state in the US to mandate the reading of direct religious texts.
The reading list contains nearly 200 mandatory readings for grades 1 through 12.
These range from classics such as Hickory Dickory Dock to Treasure Island and Hamlet.
Of these, 14 readings are Biblical stories or passages, amounting to one Biblical text for every 13 readings.
The list does not include any religious texts of faiths other than Christianity and Judaism.
In a blog post for the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, David R Brockman said the mandate designates “a single religious text, sacred to only two religions, Christianity and Judaism, as essential for student learning.”
He added: “The list’s Bible-only content could impair public schools’ ability to serve its religiously diverse population and potentially relegates non-Christian and non-religious Texans to the status of outsiders in their own public schools.”
The rule will force teachers in one state to ensure all students in grades 1 to 12 read passages and stories in the Bible.
Coming into effect in 2030, the mandate is part of a new reading list for public schools in Texas.
Teachers will have to follow the list, which has been approved by the State Board of Education.
This is the first time in the state’s history such a mandate has been enforced in the state.
According to reports, Texas is also the first state in the US to mandate the reading of direct religious texts.
The reading list contains nearly 200 mandatory readings for grades 1 through 12.
These range from classics such as Hickory Dickory Dock to Treasure Island and Hamlet.
Of these, 14 readings are Biblical stories or passages, amounting to one Biblical text for every 13 readings.
The list does not include any religious texts of faiths other than Christianity and Judaism.
In a blog post for the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, David R Brockman said the mandate designates “a single religious text, sacred to only two religions, Christianity and Judaism, as essential for student learning.”
He added: “The list’s Bible-only content could impair public schools’ ability to serve its religiously diverse population and potentially relegates non-Christian and non-religious Texans to the status of outsiders in their own public schools.”
