AUSTIN, Texas — Texas public schools will gather hours of testimony on Monday to open new schools for kindergarten through fifth grade students under a proposal that follows Republican-led efforts in other states to incorporate more religious teaching into classrooms. Students may choose to use Bible teachings in class. .
Teachers and parents passionately testified for and against the curriculum plan at a Texas Board of Education meeting, where a final vote on the measure is expected later this week.
The committee heard from more than 150 stakeholders about the new proposed curriculum during more than eight hours of testimony, CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV reported.
Testimony is scheduled to resume Tuesday, according to CBS Austin affiliate KEYE-TV.
The curriculum, designed by the state’s Department of Public Instruction, brings biblical teachings like the Golden Rule and lessons from books like Genesis into the classroom. Under the plan, schools would be given additional funding if they chose to adopt the curriculum, although it would be optional.
Some complained that the proposal was inconsistent with the mission of public schools.
“This curriculum does not meet the standards of an honest, secular curriculum,” said educator Megan Tessler. “The purpose of public schools is to educate, not indoctrinate.”
Some strongly supported this idea.
“Parents and teachers want a return to excellence,” Cindy Asmussen, one of the witnesses, said during the panel discussion. “Biblical stories and concepts have been common for hundreds of years,” she said, calling them a core part of classical learning.
Education officials were scheduled to vote Friday on whether to give public schools the option of teaching the curriculum.
The proposal to incorporate religious education into Texas public schools reflects similar trends in other parts of the state. In Oklahoma, state officials are working to incorporate the Bible into public school lesson plans. A federal judge in Louisiana recently abandoned the requirement Display the Ten Commandments in every public classroom.
Educators, parents and advocates attended the State Board of Education’s last meeting of the year, but many opponents said the proposal’s emphasis on Christian teachings would preclude other faiths from practicing. They argued that this would alienate students who do. Proponents testified that it would give students a more comprehensive educational foundation.
Texas Freedom Network, a left-wing watchdog group that monitors religious experts and the state school board, said the proposed curriculum focuses too much on Christianity and glosses over the history of slavery.
The program was developed by the Texas Education Agency earlier this year following the passage of a law requiring the agency to create its own free textbooks. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has publicly supported the new material.
Republican lawmakers in Texas have also proposed posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms and are likely to revisit the issue next year.
