Country music star Kacey Musgraves is criticizing Texas’ new public school curriculum guidelines, accusing state leaders of using the classroom to promote religious indoctrination. But the details of the policy differ from the way the singer characterized it on social media.
Musgraves reacted on Instagram by sharing a Dallas Morning News headline that read, “Bible passages will be taught in Texas public schools.” Alongside the article, she wrote, “The bible being forced by people who don’t even follow it themselves. smfh. This is simply indoctrination and it’s not okay.”
The comments quickly drew attention because Musgraves remains scheduled to perform several concerts in Texas later this year. Whether the controversy has any impact on those appearances remains to be seen.
The debate, however, centers less on Musgraves’ criticism than on what Texas actually approved.
Under the state’s new curriculum guidelines, school districts are not required to adopt the instructional materials that reference the Bible. Local districts retain the authority to decide whether to use them. Districts that choose to implement the curriculum are eligible for additional state funding, but participation itself is voluntary.
Supporters of the policy argue that distinction matters because they reject the claim that the Bible is being “forced” into every public school classroom.
The instructional materials themselves also present biblical references in a broader historical and cultural context rather than as formal religious instruction.
According to the Associated Press, one kindergarten lesson about helping one’s neighbor introduces the Golden Rule while explaining that the Bible is “a collection of ancient texts” and that its various books form “the core books of the Jewish and Christian religions.”
Another lesson for third-grade students covering the first Thanksgiving discusses a prayer delivered by the governor of Plymouth that referenced several passages from the Book of Psalms. Teachers are instructed to explain that Psalms is a collection of songs, poems, and hymns “that are used in both Jewish and Christian worship.”
Those examples have become central to the debate over the curriculum. Critics argue that including biblical material in public school lessons blurs the line between education and religion. Supporters counter that the lessons acknowledge the historical influence of the Bible on American history and Western civilization without requiring religious belief or theological instruction.
Following approval of the curriculum, Gov. Greg Abbott praised the changes.
“This is a critical step forward to bring students back to the basics of education and provide the best education in the nation,” Abbott said.
Texas is not the only state revisiting the role of religion in public education. Oklahoma and Louisiana have also adopted policies that increase the visibility of biblical or Christian references in schools, though each state’s approach differs.
