The state of Texas is testing the waters for infusing more Biblical content in public schools under a new curriculum the State Board of Education voted on Friday.
Bluebonnet Learning is a state-developed set of teaching materials designed for K-5 grades to pass the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) test. Though using Bluebonnet is optional, schools get an additional $40 per student if they use the curriculum. This is a considerable sum when many school districts are making deep budget cuts after Governor Greg Abbott blocked school funding reform last year.
Though the curriculum is supposed to draw some of its lessons from various world religions, it has a heavy focus on Christianity and edges into full-on Bible lessons. For instance, a lesson on the Golden Rule uses Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount as the primary reference, citing the Bible as an authoritative source.
“The board’s vote represents a troubling attempt to turn public schools into Sunday schools that promote a narrow religious perspective, undermining the freedom of families to direct the religious education of their own children,” said Carisa Lopez, Texas Freedom Network Deputy Director. “Our founders understood that protecting religious liberty means preventing government from favoring any particular faith. This curriculum crosses that line by forcing Bible study on students regardless of families’ beliefs, disregarding the diverse religious traditions of Texas.”
The curriculum comes at a time when the line between religious and secular education is being intentionally blurred by Texas Republicans. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has already promised to pass a law mandating the Ten Commandments in public schools. Currently, schools are required to display signs saying “In God We Trust” if a community member donates one, which conservative Christian community members immediately do. The state legislature also voted to allow chaplains to serve as school counselors, though many districts immediately voted against hiring them.
More troubling is the lurch toward a school voucher system where parents can use taxpayer dollars to pay for tuition at private schools. While this is often framed as “school choice,” the reality is that it represents millions of dollars flowing from state coffers into the bank accounts of wealthy, Christian schools.
Bluebonnet has only gotten this far because a Democratic member of the State Board of Education resigned to run for the Texas House of Representatives. Abbott appointed a Republican replacement, giving the Board the vote needed for a majority.
On Friday, the Board will vote one final time on whether to advance Bluebonnet to the list of recommended curriculum for the next school year. From there, schools will have to decide whether to follow it and reap the extra cash or reject it out of respect for the separation between church and state.
