AUSTIN, Texas— Texas public schools could employ Bible lessons as an option for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, according to a proposal that garnered hours of testimony on Monday and mirrors Republican-led initiatives in other states to bring more religious teaching into classrooms.
At a hearing of the Texas State Board of Education, teachers and parents presented passionate testimony in support and opposition to the curriculum plan, which is anticipated to be voted on later this week.
The curriculum, created by the state’s public education department, would incorporate Bible principles such as the Golden Rule and learning from books like Genesis into schools. Under the concept, schools would be free to adopt the curriculum, but they would earn greater funding if they did.
Some people argued that the proposition contradicted the aim of public schools.
“This curriculum fails to meet the standard of an honest, secular one,” educator Megan Tessler stated. “Public schools are meant to educate, not indoctrinate.”
Others greatly supported the idea.
“Parents and teachers want a return to excellence,” one of the witnesses, Cindy Asmussen, told the panel. “Stories and concepts in the Bible have been common for hundreds of years,” she stated, and this is an essential component of classical education.
Education officials were set to decide Friday on whether public schools would be allowed to teach the curriculum.
The plan to include religion education in Texas public schools follows a similar trend across the country. In Oklahoma, state officials are attempting to incorporate the Bible into public school curriculum. In Louisiana, a federal judge recently overturned a requirement to display the Ten Commandments in all public classrooms.
Educators, parents, and campaigners spoke out during the State Board of Education’s final meeting of the year, with many critics claiming that the proposal’s emphasis on Christian beliefs will alienate kids of other faiths. Those in favor claimed that it would provide pupils with a more comprehensive educational foundation.
Religious experts and the Texas Freedom Network, a left-leaning watchdog group that oversees the state’s education board, say the curriculum proposal focuses too heavily on Christianity and skirts the history of slavery.
The Texas Education Agency developed the initiative earlier this year following the passing of legislation requiring it to establish its free textbook. Republican governor Greg Abbott has publicly endorsed the new materials.
Republican lawmakers in Texas have also proposed putting the Ten Commandments in classrooms, and they are expected to revisit the matter next year.
