Beginning in the 2030-31 calendar school year, more than five million Texas public schools students will be required to read bible passages as part of their K-12 literature curriculum. That decision was handed down last Friday, June 26, by the Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education (SBOE).
As Texas Public Radio reports, In a 9-5 vote along party lines, the board decided to narrow social studies’ focus from a global perspective to one centered around the United States and the state of Texas. The list of required readings calls for both standard literature by writers such as Shakespeare, to bible passages including Psalm 23 and the Prodigal Son – the King James Version, Matthew 5’s Beatitudes, Jonah and the whale, and I Corinthians 13 – to be taught as foundational texts within Western literature.
State Board of Education District 2 representative Brandon Hall, one of 10 Republicans on the 15 member elected board, is a staunch supporter of the curriculum changes. “America and Texas have been a Christian nation and a Christian state forever. Of course, there are other faiths that are represented, but they've had a minimal impact.”
Nearly 500 supporters and opponents alike turned out to voice their feelings at the SBOE meeting on an issue that has become a lightning rod of controversy. Even in Texas, known as the “Buckle of the Bible Belt,” the injection of what critics see as Christian dogma making its way into public schools is not sitting well with a full one-third of the population who identify as non-Christian, according to the Pew Research Center.
Kimmy Fink, a Catholic mother and former teacher was also among those who opposed the changes. “We hold fast to this nation’s guarantee that it is our right to practice our faith as we so choose and we absolutely object to the government requiring bible readings in public schools.”
Beyond the inclusion of more bible stories in social studies curriculum, some critics also took exception to the portrayal of communism and the depiction of Islam - the world’s second largest religion – as dangerously violent and founded by Prophet Mohammed who led “brutal military campaigns.”
Those same critics characterized this rewrite as lacking balance and accuracy. The board plans to finish the social studies curriculum rewrite in September, having completed K-8, so far.
