Education officials in Texas have voted to move forward with approving an optional elementary school curriculum that would include lessons based on the Bible, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing education and advocacy groups.
The proposed lessons were developed by the Texas Education Agency earlier this year after Governor Greg Abbot ordered the department to create a statewide curriculum that would be used in schools after being approved by the state’s education board.
The governor has publicly supported the curriculum, arguing that it would allow Texas students to “better understand the connection of history, art, community, literature, and religion on pivotal events like the signing of the US Constitution, the Civil Rights Movement, and the American Revolution.”
On Tuesday, the Texas education board, which consists of four Democrats and 11 Republicans, voted 8-7 to move forward with approving the curriculum. The proposal was opposed by all the Democratic members as well as three Republicans. The board members are now set to take a final vote on Friday.
If approved, Texas school districts will have the option to adopt the curriculum starting in August 2025, with those who choose to do so becoming eligible for an incentive payment of $60 per student, according to the Washington Post.
The potential introduction of Bible lessons in Texas schools has become a point of contention among advocacy groups in the state. Some, like the Texas Values nonprofit, have hailed the curriculum as a victory for First Amendment rights.
“The Bible has had a colossal impact on the Western world in art, history, and literature that cannot be ignored,” a spokesperson for the group said in a statement. “Banning the Bible in the classroom would not just deny students their liberty but also take away an opportunity for a well-rounded education.”
Others, however, have condemned the proposal, arguing that it unnecessarily introduces religious concepts into schools and unfairly promotes Christian beliefs.
In a statement quoted by the Washington Post, the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a union representing school employees in the state, also suggested that the introduction of the curriculum “violates the separation of church and state” and would lead to “the erasure of contributions of marginalized populations in social studies or the minimalization of climate change in science.”