AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas State Board of Education will finally be voting on a new curriculum that the Texas Education Agency proposed for public schools across the state.
For months, the curriculum has sparked controversy over lessons containing biblical references.
“The lessons present Bible stories in such a way that they will lead to devotional, rather than objective study of the text,” said Amanda Tyler, the executive director for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
In September, the board heard from more than 100 speakers about their thoughts on this proposed curriculum. Since then, the TEA released new updates to the lessons this October, but opponents say it’s still not enough.
“Unfortunately, the TEA did not make nearly enough corrections,” said Dr. Mark Chancey, a religious studies professor at Southern Methodist University. “It rejected many proposed revisions, and the result is that many of the original problems remain. Revised lessons still give more attention to the Bible than to other religious texts.”
Another major concern from opponents is the lack of transparency from the TEA about who the authors of the curriculum are. The education agency has still not released who wrote the Bluebonnet lessons.
Chancey, though a professor of religious studies and churchgoing Methodist himself, believes this curriculum should not be in Texas public schools. He believes teaching religious literacy should be part of education, but the Bluebonnet lessons unfairly show favoritism to Christianity over other religions.
“They promote particular religious views over others, and in doing so, they violate parents’ rights to determine the religious upbringing of their children,” Chancey said.
After evaluating the Bluebonnet lessons, he also believes they’re not age-appropriate, as he says young students wouldn’t be able to decipher between objectively learning about religion and their teachings.
However, supporters of the curriculum say the educational materials are constitutionally protected.
“Not only is learning about common stories and phrases from the Bible important in a student’s understanding of history, but it is the First Amendment right to have access to this information,” said Mary Elizabeth Castle, the director of government relations for Texas Values.
They also say since the U.S. Supreme Court has already been clear on this, those trying to reject it are trying to suppress Christianity.
“Government cannot violate religious liberty by establishing a religion of secularism, by giving preference to those who believe in no religion, over those who have religious beliefs,” said Jonathan Covey, the policy director for Texas Values.
After the Texas State Board of Education wraps up their public testimony this week, they will take a preliminary vote on whether or not to adopt the curriculum.
But opponents recently have had more concerns about how the vote with play out with some changes on the board.
At the beginning of the month, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Republican Leslie Recine to take over for Democrat Aicha Davis. Davis represented District 13 on the board but was just elected to the Texas House of Representatives for District 109. Recine will serve on the board for a term until her successor takes office.
On Friday, the board will take their final vote on the TEA-proposed curriculum.
If the curriculum is adopted, it will be up to the individual school districts in the state whether or not they want to implement it. But it does come with a financial incentive, of about $60 per student.