AUSTIN—State Board of Education Members Julie Pickren and Brandon Hall are urging the complete rejection of attempts to rewrite history, specifically the exclusion of how the Bible influenced both the values and founding of America and Texas.
The Monday press conference comes as members of the state board prepare to amend and give final approval of the new high school Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills social studies standards, which were postponed following the passage of the elementary and middle school TEKS during the June board meeting.
The high school TEKS are divided into five separate subchapters—U.S. History, Government, Geography, World History, and Personal Financial Literacy.
Pickren told attendees that the Declaration of Independence recognizes that our rights come “from our Creator” and that to erase this from history is not neutrality, but historical revisionism.
“Our schools must never become laboratories for political indoctrination, teach students what Marxism and communism actually produced: the destruction of private property, the destruction of economic freedom, and the destruction of individual liberty, and the death of millions of people under totalitarian regimes,” said Pickren.
Pickren also argued that Texas must teach “the truth about radical Islamic terrorism and its attacks on America.”
Hall told attendees that to preserve the American republic and way of life, Texas students need to “understand the remarkable heritage that they have as Americans, and especially as Texans.”
He also highlighted the need for social studies standards that emphasize the exceptionalism of America.
“We have Marxist historical revisionists that want to teach the history of America in a negative light, they want to overemphasize other cultures around the world over America,” said Hall. “They want to keep our students their global citizens, not citizens of the United States or Texans.”
As of publishing, the board was still receiving testimony on these proposed standards.
Several members of the public spoke out in support of the references to Scripture found throughout the standards, arguing that the Bible is a foundational literary and cultural text needed to understand America’s founding documents.
Jonathan Covey, director of policy for Texas Values, encouraged the board to keep the proposed standards focused on the essential knowledge needed for students to understand American history and its system of government, and the structure of the constitutional system, including “federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, individual rights, and the responsibilities of citizenship.”
“Our history courses should also help students understand the major ideas and systems that shaped historical events, including the history of communist regimes and ideologies and their consequences for individual liberty,” said Covey. “We would ask that you adopt clear and content-rich standards that prioritize historically significant materials and give Texas students a strong foundation for informed citizenship, just as you’ve been working towards.”
Others argued that the standards depict Islam mostly through violence, terrorism, slavery, and “radical Islam,” urging the board to treat it like other world religions in the TEKS instead.
The SBOE is slated to take a final vote on the standards on Friday.
