Texas officials back optional school curriculum with Biblical references, sparking backlash
'There’s a difference between teaching about religion and teaching religion,' one proponent said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Texas officials are backing a state-wide elementary school curriculum that includes Biblical references.
The Texas State Board of Education, a 15-member elected body with a Republican majority, voted 8-7 Tuesday to keep the state-developed instructional materials on the state’s list of approved resources, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The optional teaching materials, known as Bluebonnet Learning, have ruffled the feathers of critics, including parents, teachers unions and liberal advocacy groups, who argue it is too Christian and blurs the line between separation of church and state, the paper reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One such critic, David Brockman, a scholar at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said the curriculum "verges on Christian proselytism insofar as its extensive, lopsided coverage of Christianity and the Bible suggests that this is the only religious tradition of any importance," WSJ reported.
Student with schoolbag entering the classroom. (iStock)
One kindergarten unit teaching art appreciation would focus on the Bible’s Book of Genesis and artworks inspired by it, CNN reported. Another unit for first-graders would teach The Parable of the Prodigal Son and a lesson plan for third-graders about ancient Rome would discuss the life of Jesus and Christianity in the Roman Empire.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But supporters argue students are not being asked to adopt Christian beliefs.
"These biblical references do not constitute an establishment of religion," one individual in favor of the curriculum said during Monday’s hearing, the Journal reported.
Thomas Lindsay, a policy director for higher education with the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation and member of an advisory group that helped the state with the curriculum, echoed a similar sentiment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"There’s a difference between teaching about religion and teaching religion," he said.
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A teacher and a group of elementary school children standing in the classroom saying the pledge of allegiance. (kali9)
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the new state instructional materials "allow our students to better understand the connection of history, art, community, literature and religion on pivotal events like the signing of the U.S. Constitution, the civil-rights movement and the American Revolution," during comments in the spring.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tuesday's preliminary vote will be followed by a final vote expected Friday. If approved, the educational materials, put forth by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), would be available to districts starting in August 2025. The Bluebonnet curriculum was developed after the Texas Legislature passed a law last year that directed the TEA to create state-owned instructional materials to be approved by the State Board of Education.
School districts who opt to implement approved materials get an additional $40 per student if they use approved materials, as well as $20 per student for the cost of printing the Bluebonnet texts, the Journal reported.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Texas isn't the only state pushing to incorporate more religion into its schools.
A federal judge blocked the Louisiana law that requires schools to display the Ten Commandments in the classroom last week, arguing the law has an "overly religious" purpose.
Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters faced legal push-back after he called for the Bible and the Ten Commandments to be taught in the state's schools.