Texas Board of Education approves initial vote for biblical lessons in textbooks

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- After hours of testimony on Tuesday, the Texas State Board of Education took a preliminary vote on adding biblical lessons that could come to public elementary schools.

Although a preliminary vote favored the Bible teachings, a final vote is expected later this week.

The proposed curriculum is for the state's 2.3 million public school students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

It would include lessons from the Bible in reading and language arts textbooks.

School districts are not required to use the new curriculum, but schools will get an extra $60 per student in state funding if they do.

A vote was expected Monday, but the meeting surrounding it didn't end until around 9:30 p.m. because so many people attended to speak about it.

"Our schools are to educate, not indoctrinate. This curriculum veers toward indoctrination," one person said.

"Let's be clear: our nation was founded on Christian values. This curriculum will help teachers time with lesson plans," another said.

If this passes, it will likely face legal challenges.

In September, state education officials heard hours of testimony both for and against the new textbooks. Those books were then amended to take out some references that people had major issues with.

"The old rule was that any sort of entanglement between church and state where they sort of mix religion and government, that would be unconstitutional," Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law, said. "But in recent years, the court has signaled a different approach where there actually has to be a state of coercion, where unless you coerce a student to engage in religion, you're probably in the OK."

Legal experts tell ABC13 that the big question for the courts would be how the Bible is used in class.

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