In a decision that has reignited long-simmering tensions over religious influence in American public education, Texas’ Republican-controlled State Board of Education has greenlit a policy that will require all public school students across the state to complete mandatory readings of Bible stories starting in 2030. The measure, which impacts more than 5 million K-12 students in the nation’s second-largest state, includes core biblical passages such as the creation narrative of Adam and Eve and the Book of Exodus’ account of God appearing to Moses through a burning bush. The approved required reading list also incorporates well-known English literary works, including Charles Dickens’ classic novel *Great Expectations*, alongside the religious texts. This new mandate is the latest in a series of conservative education policy shifts in Texas, coming one year after the state made history as the largest U.S. state to mandate that all public school classrooms display a copy of the Ten Commandments, the foundational set of biblical laws central to Judeo-Christian tradition. Critics of the new policy have quickly raised sharp objections, arguing that the mandatory inclusion of Bible stories in public school curricula violates the fundamental constitutional principle of separating church and state, and infringes on the religious freedom rights of students and families from diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds. As the policy will not take effect for another four years, legal challenges and ongoing public debate over the role of religious content in public education are expected to intensify across the state and the country in the coming years.