Texas board advances plan to allow Bible material in elementary school lessons
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ education board on Tuesday advanced a new Bible-infused curriculum that would be optional for schools to incorporate in kindergarten through fifth grades, one of the latest Republican-led efforts in the U.S. to incorporate more religious teaching into classrooms.
The vote moves the Texas State Board of Education one step closer to signing off on what is known as the “Bluebonnet” textbook, which drew hours of often emotional testimony from teachers and parents earlier this week.
The board is expected to hold a final vote on the measure Friday.
The curriculum — designed by the state’s public education agency — would allow teachings from the Bible such as the Golden Rule and lessons from books such as Genesis into classrooms. Under the plan, it would be optional for schools to adopt the curriculum, though they would receive additional funding if they did so.
Some objected that the proposal contradicts the public school mission.
The suit alleges that the mandate violates the Oklahoma Constitution because it involves spending public money to support religion.
“This curriculum fails to meet the standard of an honest, secular one,” educator Megan Tessler said. “Public schools are meant to educate, not indoctrinate.”
Others strongly backed the idea.
“Parents and teachers want a return to excellence,” Cindy Asmussen, one of those testifying, told the panel. “Stories and concepts in the Bible have been common for hundreds of years,” and that, she said, is a core part of classical learning.
The proposal to incorporate religious teaching in Texas public schools mirrors a similar trend elsewhere in the country. In Oklahoma, state officials are seeking to include the Bible into public school lesson plans. In Louisiana, a federal judge recently quashed a requirement to have the Ten Commandments displayed in all public classrooms.
The request for proposal no longer requires the Bibles include U.S. historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution -- as does a version promoted by Donald Trump.
Educators, parents and advocates weighed in at the State Board of Education’s final meeting of the year, where many opponents argued that the proposal’s emphasis on Christian teachings would alienate students of other faith backgrounds. Those in favor testified that it’ll give students a more holistic educational foundation.
Religious experts and the Texas Freedom Network, a left-leaning watchdog group that monitors the state’s education board, said the curriculum proposal focuses too much on Christianity and dances around the history of slavery.
The program was designed by the Texas Education Agency earlier this year after passage of a law giving it a mandate to create its own free textbook. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has publicly supported the new materials.
Republican lawmakers in Texas have also proposed displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms and are likely to revisit the issue next year.
Lathan writes for the Associated Press.
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