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The Texas Board of Education on Friday passed a new rule that will allow Bible-based curriculum to be taught in elementary schools as early as next school year.

The rule, which was approved in a 8-7 vote, follows the efforts of Texas’s neighboring states of Louisiana and Oklahoma to incorporate more religion in public school settings. Louisiana’s efforts revolve around trying to publicly display the Ten Commandments in school classrooms, and Oklahoma’s education department ordered a copy of the Bible in every public classroom.

The new rule does not require that Texas elementary schools use Bible-based curriculum, but the schools will receive additional state funding if they do so, according to NBC News. 

Although the rule passed the Board of Education, critics believe it will still be challenged in court.

“If a parent or a teacher who didn’t feel comfortable teaching this were to bring this up to a court, I believe they would be successful,” Education Board member Staci Childs, who voted against the rule, said. “In my good conscience, in protecting my bar license, I just do not feel that these materials are yet reflective of the experiences and the nuance of Texas students.”

Supporters of the change have highlighted the role that Christianity and the Bible have played on American history. The new curriculum would also draw on other religions that influenced the U.S., but the Bible plays the biggest part.

“It is said that there are close to 300 common-day phrases that actually come from the Bible,” Mary Castle, director of government relations for Texas Values, said. “So students will benefit from being able to understand a lot of these references that are in literature and have a way to be able to comprehend them.”

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.