The Texas State Board of Education today gave final approval to a controversial new elementary curriculum that features numerous Biblical references, from stories about King Solomon to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
The board voted 8 to 7 in favor of the state-developed “Bluebonnet Learning” English and language arts materials, which critics say privilege Christianity over other religions. A narrow majority of the board — consisting of 11 Republicans and four Democrats — had signaled earlier in the week it would support the new curriculum.
The majority was persuaded by speakers like Mary Elizabeth Castle with the faith-based Texas Values, who addressed the board earlier this week.
“If we reject any kind of reference or instance of religion in any education, students would be bereft of understanding so many common things in society and literature and in government,” Castle told State Board of Education members.
Schools aren’t required to use Bluebonnet Learning, but the state will offer financial incentives to districts that do.
The curriculum has been the subject of scrutiny and criticism since the state unveiled it in May.
Board member Rebecca Bell Metereau praised Bluebonnet Learning officials for adding references from faiths other than Christianity after she and others questioned the curriculum’s singular Christian focus. But the changes weren’t enough to change her mind against the Bluebonnet plan.
“It seems to me like it is trying to place a Band-Aid on a gaping wound,” Metereau said.
Among other Biblical references, the K-5 curriculum teaches kindergarteners about the Golden Rule using text from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, “along with references to Islam and Hinduism,” the teacher’s guide states; introduces 5th graders to Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” “based on the Christian Bible story about the last meal of Jesus of Nazareth”; and features a story on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, “derived from the Book of Luke, a book of the New Testament of the Christian Bible.”
Mark Chancey, a religious studies professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, testified earlier in the week that he’s not opposed to teaching religion in schools, but the Texas curriculum over-emphasizes Christianity over other religions.
“Not only is it taught in such a way that’s going to promote some religions over others, but in many cases it even just gets the basic facts wrong,” he said.
But proponents said the materials are well-rounded and teach students about classic literature.
