(AP): Texas would make Bible stories required reading for more than five million public school students under a proposal that has reignited debate over widening efforts in the US to put more religion in classrooms.

A final vote by the Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education on whether to approve the plan is set for Friday. Last year, Texas became the largest state to require every classroom to display the Ten Commandments. The proposal has drawn fierce opposition. Critics argue the changes violate the constitutional separation of Church and State, inflate the role of Christianity in the nation’s history, and favour it over other religions. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation’s founding, and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.

US President Donald Trump has pledged to protect and expand religious expression in public schools nationwide, and Texas — a red state that is home to about one in 10 of all US public school students — often sets the agenda. In 2023, Texas became the first state to allow the hiring of chaplains to counsel students and, the following year, the board narrowly approved an optional Bible-infused curriculum for elementary schools. Last year, Republican lawmakers required public schools to display the Ten Commandments, a measure recently upheld by a federal appeals court.