Individual school districts within the state would have the option to implement it or not. However, it comes with a financial incentive of approximately $60 per student.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas State Board of Education on Friday took the final steps needed to move forward with a controversial curriculum that includes Bible teachings.
The board voted 8-7 in favor of the curriculum developed by the Texas Education Agency, formally approving the Bible-inspired content for use in the classroom. TEA oversees more than 5 million students in the state’s public schools.
“These stories, in my view, are on the education side and establishing cultural literacy,” said Republican Commissioner Will Hickman. “There are religious concepts like the Good Samaritan, the Golden Rule, and Moses that every student should know.”
On Monday, more than 150 people signed up to testify before the Texas State Board of Education about the new proposed curriculum.
On Tuesday, board members took a preliminary vote on whether to adopt the curriculum before taking a final vote on the TEA’s proposed curriculum.
In September, the board heard from more than 100 speakers about the proposed curriculum. The TEA has since released a lessons learned update in October of this year, but opponents say the changes still don’t go far enough.
The optional curriculum applies to students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Bluebonnet Learning is a state-developed educational material that provides a variety of lessons and resources for use by elementary school teachers.
Lesson plans include using the Parable of the Prodigal Son to teach storytelling and the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection to teach children about the connection between the Roman Empire and Christianity. This includes:
This curriculum was developed in response to House Bill 1605, which requires the Texas Education Agency to develop instructional materials for the state that are approved by the State Board of Education.
State Board of Education Democrat and attorney Stacey Childs, who voted against the curriculum, said the curriculum clearly violates the First Amendment by favoring one religion over another. He expressed concern that this may be the case.
“In kindergarten materials, the words “Christian, Christian, Christian” are cited three times: 4 times in 1st grade, 17 times in 2nd grade, 190 times in 3rd grade, 81 times in 4th grade, 5 There’s a reference to that in grade level. It’s referenced 66 times in one grade level,” Childs said. “If parents or teachers who don’t feel comfortable teaching this take this to court, I believe they will prevail.”
Rocio Fierro Perez, political director of the Texas Freedom Network, said he believes the curriculum violates the civil rights of students and families.
“We are working with our legal partners to ensure that all superintendents in Texas understand the types of legal issues to expect and the situation in other states that are implementing similar education and laws. Here we go,” Fierro said. – Perez said.
Fierro-Perez said her organization plans to launch a grassroots effort to talk with superintendents about how the curriculum harms students and the community.
“We are focusing our efforts across the state and working with many partners to provide information to all school districts so they know what their curriculum can look like if their superintendent chooses to adopt this curriculum. We want them to understand,” Fierro Perez said. Said.
This material primarily focuses on telling Bible stories in English and language arts classes. For example, one teaching guide for second grade students talks about how the story of Queen Esther in the Bible speaks about fighting for a cause and pushing for historical change. The same guide also includes teachings about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Cesar Chavez.
“We want to connect learning with stories that kids can relate to current events and stories from places they’ve been or from. “I don’t know if it’s going to work for everyone, like many of our students,” said Ovidia Molina, president of the Texas Teachers Association. “Our teachers are involved in educating our students to ensure they receive the best education possible, and we believe that we know what is not true and is part of the story of the Bible. You’re going to be in trouble because you’re teaching something that goes against what you believe.” Educators’ mission is to teach honest education and provide fact-based information that prepares students for the world. to ensure that all are available. ”
Supporters of the curriculum, such as Texas Values, believe it will give students a deeper understanding of history.
“There are so many important literary works, even Shakespeare references the Bible,” said Mary Elizabeth Castle, director of government relations at Texas Values. “This is very helpful for students, especially in an era where test reading scores are very low.”
This curriculum is optional in Texas public schools. You don’t have to opt in, but there are financial incentives if you choose. If they participate, the state would give school districts an additional $60 per student.
“School districts with tight budgets are looking to add some extra money to the extremely tight budget situation they find themselves in,” said Kelsey Kling, government relations expert and policy analyst for the American Federation of Teachers of Texas. Then he might be looking for something.” .
Molina said districts across the state in recent weeks have been considering cuts to expenses and programs to ensure they can pay teachers’ salaries and bills and provide a quality educational experience for students. Ta.
“Right now, that’s the only way to get some extra money for the district,” Molina said. “We’re seeing school districts go by. With a teacher shortage already, how do we keep schools open so that educators aren’t rushed out of the classroom?” We’re trying to understand that there’s a shortage of people who want to go into education this year, not just teachers, but educators right now.
In a press release Friday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office announced that if school districts voluntarily utilize the Bluebonnet curriculum, a second additional funding stream will also be available that can be used to cover printing costs. .
Abbott’s office said the program and materials will be available to everyone online.
“The passage of Bluebonnet Learning is an important step in bringing students back to the basics of education and providing the best education in the nation,” Abbott said in a statement. “Parents can also access these materials online, giving Texas youth the foundation they need in math, reading, science, and other core subjects and providing them with high-quality, grade-level, appropriate content that improves student achievement.” Texas. ”
Molina said she doesn’t want the school to feel like Sunday school because Christianity is not the only religion in the world, and she doesn’t want non-Christian students to feel unwelcome at the school.
“We want to make sure that the curriculum prepares kids for the world and that it’s fair,” Molina said. “The fact that some schools claim they get funding because they do this, and some other schools say they don’t use this curriculum because they want to teach their students the truth, creates further inequity in education. ”
Opponents say the curriculum is biased against Christians and undermines religious freedom by unfairly promoting Christianity.
“There is nothing wrong with teaching religion in public schools as long as it is taught in an equal and balanced way, taking into account all religions and taking non-religious people into account. has not been able to do that at all,” Fierro Perez said. .
Supporters, meanwhile, said the curriculum would help broaden young students’ understanding of the world.
“Our future students will receive a very rich curriculum that will help them gain a deeper understanding of some of the more than 300 idioms derived from the Bible that we use every day,” Castle said. said.
Questions arose during the State Board of Education meeting about how exactly the Bluebonnet curriculum would be implemented, as teachers can also use supplemental materials in addition to this curriculum.
“Texas is spending a lot of money on this, and our districts are going to have to spend money on printing, too, and that’s a huge amount of money,” said Republican Party official Pam Little. “How exactly do we know if we’re getting a good return on this investment and if we can mix in other ingredients?”
In addition to whether the district may not use that money after receiving it, whether the district will mandate that this is the only curriculum that teachers can use, and which teachers did not use that curriculum. There is also the question of whether the state or school district will pursue this.
“At a time when we need to focus on what our students really need, there can be no ambiguity, there can be no doubts, there can be no other way than making sure students know the factual history. Nothing should happen,” Molina said. “They may go out into the world and feel that I wasn’t taught about this group. I was taught about myself and about the people around me.”
Some critics worry that the curriculum is not age-appropriate and that young children will not be able to distinguish between whether the subject matter is a claim of faith or fact.
“If you have a teacher who teaches five-year-olds about what God created on the first day and what God created on the second day, and talks about the resurrection of Jesus Christ as being historically accurate, that is very It’s a problem, but it’s not. It’s age-appropriate and it’s not appropriate for our public schools,” Fierro-Perez said.
Kling said she worries the new curriculum will booby-trap teachers because parents are supposed to guide their children’s spiritual journeys.
He stressed that it was important for parents to be aware of and understand the content of the lessons so that teachers “avoid negative standards when and if such lessons are introduced.” . Kling also said parents should be able to remove students from classes if they feel these lessons are inappropriate.
“We need to be able to feel free to answer to our students and interact with them. And if for some reason that trust is broken, we as teachers may inadvertently offend students or say things that may anger parents. “When you break away from your faith with a student or their family for any reason, it becomes difficult to teach them,” Kling said. “It makes it difficult to develop the open, trusting relationships that are absolutely necessary for learning and teaching.”
Earlier in the month, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Republican Leslie Lecine to replace Democrat Aicha Davis. Mr. Davis previously served on the 13th District Board of Directors and was recently elected to the Texas House of Representatives for the 109th District. Mr. Lecine will continue to serve as a director until his successor takes office.
Now that the state Board of Education has given the green light to the curriculum, teachers will be able to use it in their classrooms as early as the fall 2025 semester.
“We believe these materials are of high quality,” Castle said. “We believe teachers can bring these materials into their classrooms in ways that help students learn.”
