By Maria Ortiz
Nov 22, 2024, 10:35 PM EST
The majority of the State Board of Education Texas gave final approval Friday to a state-developed curriculum that has come under intense scrutiny in recent months for including teachings from the Bible.
Eight of the 15 board members voted to approve “Bluebonnet Learning,” the elementary school curriculum proposed by the Texas Education Agency earlier this year.
The curriculum was designed with an interdisciplinary approach that uses reading and language lessons to advance or consolidate concepts in other disciplines, such as history and social studies, and would apply to kindergarten through fifth grade.
Texas school districts have the freedom to choose their own lesson plansso the decision to adopt the materials will remain yours.
But state will offer $60 per student incentive to districts that adopt Bible lessonswhich could be appealing to some as schools struggle financially after several years without a significant increase in state funding.
Critics of the curriculum, including religious studies specialists, say the lessons refer to Christianity more than any other religion, which they say could lead to harassment and isolation of non-Christian students. , undermine the separation between Church and State and give the State broad control over how children learn about religion.
Proponents of the curriculum say references to Christianity will provide students with a better understanding of the country’s history.
Republican Governor Greg Abbott has expressed support for these curricula, which were provided by the state education agency that oversees the more than 5 million students in Texas public schools.
Texas is among Republican-led states that They have approved laws that incorporate Christianity in public schoolswhich has sparked outrage and lawsuits.
This month, a federal judge temporarily blocked a Louisiana law that would have required the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public school classrooms before the new year.
In Oklahoma, teachers and parents sued to block the state’s top education official from enforcing a similar mandate.
Keep reading:
• What is the US Bible Belt, the 9 states where religious leaders believe Trump has been “sent by God” to be president
• Judge blocks Louisiana law requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments
• Donald Trump supports the controversial law to display the 10 Commandments in schools