Update 7/21/22: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the textbook would be subject to a final vote by the school board at their August morning. A spokesperson for Magnolia ISD says it will not be brought to the board in the future.
MAGNOLIA — Another rural Houston suburb has discussed and rejected the controversial Goodheart-Willcox health textbook that the State Board of Education (SBOE) approved but many parents reject.
The SBOE updated the state standards for health curriculums, called Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and approved—but did not mandate—only one text (Goodheart-Willcox) as meeting those TEKS.
However, each school district may opt out of the suggested curriculum and choose its own since the text was not mandated by the SBOE.
Magnolia ISD’s Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC), composed of parents and school faculty, unanimously approved the Goodheart-Willcox health text. But according to an announcement handed out at Monday night’s school board meeting, the MISD textbook committee did not approve the material, saying the committee “does not support the Goodheart-Willcox textbook and will not recommend any new health textbooks for the board to adopt.”
The SHAC even acknowledged that the sex education portion of the health text “contains verbiage that does not reflect the values of Magnolia ISD.”
Nevertheless, the SHAC approved the text on the grounds that the sex education component can be a separate companion piece. However, complaints arose that the text itself contains gender ideology, social justice activism, reproductive healthcare (often a code word for abortion), and even the promotion of clean needles for using drugs.
MISD’s textbook committee maintains that MISD will continue to use the current health resources available instead of the proposed Goodheart-Willcox text.
Notably, neighboring Tomball ISD already rejected the Goodheart-Willcox health text due to parental concerns with the information contained within.
School boards across the state will be voting on whether or not to adopt the Goodheart-Willcox text within the next month. Concerned parents can contact their school board to register their opinion.
