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 school 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.

Educators, parents and advocates weighed in Monday 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.

Educator Megan Tessler testified Monday that the plan contradicts the public school mission.

“This curriculum fails to meet the standard of an honest, secular one,” Tessler said. “Public schools are meant to educate, not indoctrinate.”

Others strongly backed the idea.

“Parents and teachers want a return to excellence,” said Cindy Asmussen, testifying Monday. “Stories and concepts in the Bible have been common for hundreds of years," and that, she said, is a core part of classical learning.

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 also 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.

The proposal to incorporate religious teaching in Texas public schools mirrors similar efforts around the country, which are also drawing court challenges.

In Oklahoma, state officials are seeking to include the Bible in public school lesson plans. But a group of students' parents, teachers and others recently filed suit, seeking to stop Oklahoma's top education official from carrying out the plan intended for students in grades 5 through 12. The lawsuit before the Oklahoma Supreme Court also asks the court to stop the Republican state superintendent from spending $3 million to purchase Bibles in support of the plan.

In Louisiana, a new state law sought to have the Ten Commandments displayed in all public classrooms, but a federal judge recently quashed that requirement. U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles in Baton Rouge said last week that the Louisiana law had an “overtly religious” purpose, and rejected state officials’ claims that the government can mandate the posting of the Ten Commandments because they hold historical significance to the foundation of U.S. law. His opinion noted that no other foundational documents — including the Constitution or the Bill of Rights — must be posted.

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Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.