By Mike Killalea, NSD president
Eight of the 15 members of the Texas State Board of Education gave final approval Friday to a state-authored curriculum under intense scrutiny in recent months for its heavy inclusion of biblical teachings.
The Bluebonnet curriculum will become available in the spring, with schools that choose to adopt the materials expected to begin using them at the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Zeph Capo, president of Texas AFT, the union representing educators in the state, released the following response:
“Every educator in this state agrees to a Code of Ethics. Among the standards we are expected to uphold by the state of Texas is that we shall not exclude a student from participation in a program, deny benefits to a student, or grant an advantage to a student because of race, color, gender, disability, national origin, religion, family status, or sexual orientation.
“Texas has a way of forcing us to violate this standard, usually about the time that the Legislature ends its session, and the governor puts his pen to the signature line of so many counterproductive, detrimental bills. Today, though, it is the State Board of Education that has put us in the position of defying our Code of Ethics once more.”
The bible lessons moved forward due to a Democratic member’s resignation, and subsequent but temporary replacement by Greg Abbott with a big-shot GOP consultant (more below).
The decision to use the curriculum rests with local school boards. However, adoption of the curriculum will reap the school district an additional $60 per student.
Lago Vista ISD
Darren Webb, LV ISD superintendent, said that Bluebonnet is not on the district’s agenda anytime soon. The ISD Board of Trustees has scheduled a meeting on Dec 9, but it will cover other business, he said, such as swearing in members of the Board of Trustees, consider reorganization of the Board, and work on long-range planning.
Curriculum heavy on Christianity
Bluebonnet critics, including religious studies experts, say the curriculum alludes to Christianity more than any other religion, which they say could lead to the bullying and isolation of non-Christian students, undermine church-state separation and grant the state far-reaching control over how children learn about religion.
They also question the accuracy of some lessons. For instance, the curriculum treats bible stories as historically accurate. The proposed curriculum would prompt teachers to relay the bible story of the Good Samaritan — a parable about loving everyone, including your enemies — to kindergarteners as an example of what it means to follow the Golden Rule.
The story comes from the Bible, the lesson explains, and “was told by a man named Jesus” as part of his Sermon on the Mount, which included the phrase, “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.” Many other religions have their own version of the Golden Rule, which the lesson plan acknowledges.
A first-grade lesson about the Liberty Bell would teach students a story in which “God told Moses about the laws he wanted his people to follow — laws that were designed to help ensure that the Hebrew people lived in peace in the freedom of their new land.”
There’s also a fifth-grade lesson on Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper that challenges students to consider “how the disciples may have felt upon hearing Jesus telling them about his betrayal and death.”
References to other religions are also included. A second-grade lesson highlights the Jewish celebration of Purim. A fourth-grade poetry unit includes Kshemendra, a poet from India who “studied Buddhism and Hinduism.”
How did this happen?
Check out the “Lone Star Left Newsletter” for detailed info. LSL reports that this approval came largely in the wake of the resignation of one Democratic member’s resignation to run – successfully – for the state Legislature.
The governor can appoint a member to a vacant seat until a newly elected member can be sworn in for their term in January. Gov. Greg Abbott has chosen to exercise this power, and on Nov 1, announced that Leslie Recine will serve for exactly one meeting on the SBOE (that’s this week’s meeting, which lasts all week). Recine is a long-time Republican consultant and fundraiser with no direct experience with public education.
In other words, Greg Abbott appointed Recine as the deciding vote on implementing Christian Nationalism in Texas public schools.
https://www.texasaft.org/policy/funding/statement-on-sboe-approval-of-bluebonnet-learning-materials/
Another example of the state forcing it's will on the people!