Texas Bible curriculum vote: 9-5-1
The Texas State Board of Education voted 9 to 5 to 1 to require Bible passages as part of the state's public school reading curriculum, beginning in 2030.
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Newsom’s Billionaire Tax, Iran War Escalates & Israel Acknowledges Genocide | PBD Podcast #825
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Jun 29, 2026
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Texas Mandates Bible Passages in Public Schools
At 1:28:30 · chapter starts 1:27:05
Patrick reads the details of the Texas Education Board vote: required readings will include sections of Exodus for 5th graders, the Shepherd Psalm for 7th graders, plus classic literature from E.B. White, Shel Silverstein, Kurt Vonnegut, and Aesop. The Bible requirement follows last year's Ten Commandments posting, which survived Fifth Circuit Court review. Tom decodes the 'teachers' autonomy' argument: teachers' unions want individual teachers to have classroom freedom specifically so they can push personal political ideologies and circumvent board-mandated curricula. Texas's position is that teachers are employees of the state, not political activists, and the school board — not union delegates — sets the curriculum. He notes that the Ten Commandments are actually split: about half of the commandments (don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, honor your parents) are straightforward civic ethics. Adam and Vinny celebrate the move as a return to moral foundations, arguing that removing God from schools created the lawlessness and gender confusion visible in today's classrooms.
Texas Mandates Bible Passages in Public Schools
Texas's Education Board voted 9-5-1 to require Bible passages as part of the state's public school reading curriculum beginning in 2030. The fight isn't really about religion — it's about whether teachers can inject their own politics. Tom argues teachers' unions want 'autonomy' precisely so one teacher can override the school board's curriculum with whatever they personally believe.
Idaho's Firing Squad: The First State to Make It the Default
Idaho's House Bill 380 makes the firing squad the state's primary execution method starting July 1, 2026 — the first state in the nation to do so. The law also allows the death penalty for certain child sex crimes involving victims 12 and under. Idaho already has 60% household gun ownership, constitutional carry, and the lowest ATM mugging rate in the country. Tom calls it a deterrent model worth exporting.
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