AUSTIN—During a Tuesday meeting, State Board of Education members heard testimony regarding the proposed Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading as well as Social Studies.
As the state-mandated curriculum standards that outline what Texas students are expected to learn in each subject and grade level, the proposed TEKS for English Language Arts and Reading would add a list of literary works to be taught in each grade level, as required by a new state law. The lists include titles focused on classic literature, U.S. and Texas history, and passages from the Bible.
Critics cited concerns over the proposed focus on Christianity, lack of racial diversity representation, and a lack of teacher autonomy.
“The list lacks racial and cultural diversity, having works predominantly written by white Christian men and few women and people of color does not fairly represent the diversity of this state,” said Jillian Perkins, a Texas eighth-grader. “This gives the idea that one voice is more important than the others, implementing this small minded perspective into the curriculum will be damaging the way kids see themselves in the future.”
Responding to these criticisms, Vanessa Sivadge, president of Protecting Texas Children, told board members that the U.S. does not find its strength in diversity, but in unity.
“I would just like to say that our strength is not found in our diversity. It is found in our unity, surrounding our shared heritage, our American values and the things that have made America the greatest nation on the face of the planet,” said Sivadge. “That is where our strength lies. It’s not in our diversity.”
Many others who showed up to testify praised the proposed lists, saying that the books ground students in the ideas of American patriotism, promote Judeo-Christian values, and support critical thinking.
Rick Green, a former state lawmaker and founder of Patriot Academy, spoke out in strong support and thanked the board members for what they are doing “to improve and continually preserve an education system that will actually teach our children what it means to be a Texan and to be an American, and why that value system is the best in the history of mankind.”
Green urged board members to keep the foundation of “Judeo-Christian values that created Western civilization” and the stories of the individuals who founded our nation in the reading lists.
“Even Benjamin Rush, father of our public school system under the Constitution, said the Bible should be the primary textbook of our schools,” continued Green. “It’s not just for philosophy or religion or some of the other things that people have said. It’s because it works, it produces a good society.”
Republican Party of Texas Chairman Abraham George, True Texas Project President Fran Rhodes, and conservative activist Bonnie Wallace were among those who testified on the proposed reading lists.
George spoke out against the inclusion of any Islamic-promoting materials in the standards alongside Rhodes, while Wallace—who travels the state urging school districts to remove explicit materials from school libraries—called the TEA reading lists “significantly better” than the list suggested by SBOE member Will Hickman.
She advised the board to also create a “prohibited book list” in order to assist in removing inappropriate content from government schools.
The motion to approve the reading lists was left pending, with members expected to take it up later due to time constraints.
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