Officials in Texas are set to vote this week on a controversial new public school curriculum that incorporates Christian lessons from the Bible as early as kindergarten while putting less focus on other faiths.

Texas' education board on Tuesday advanced a new Bible-infused curriculum that would be optional for schools to incorporate in kindergarten through fifth grades.

Texas education officials voted narrowly to offer preliminary approval on Tuesday for a new curriculum that includes Bible lessons for children starting in kindergarten, part of a growing effort in the state and elsewhere to bring Christian principles to public schools.